

HUNGARIAN REFERENCE 
LIBRARY 



Property of 

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



































































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FRONTISPIECE. 


























































































































































o i- : 5 n 

Perilous Adventures 

BY 

LAND AND SEA, 


EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA AND AMERICA, 


JOHN FROST, LL.D. 


FULLY ILLUSTRATE®. 





CHICAGO AND NEW TORE: 
BEDFORD, CLARKE & CO. 
1884. 





PRINTED AND BOUND BY 

Donohue & Henneberry, 
CHICAGO. 




+) 



1 39 6 N 

17JUL 2953 






PREFACE. 


Theke is a charm in “ perilous adventures/* 
which few readers can resist; and, accordingly, 
books containing thrilling narrations of exploits 
and escapes are generally popular. Most per¬ 
sons peruse these books for amusement; but 
it is obvious that such works as the one we now 
present to the public must be full of important 
instruction. The dangers attending travel in 
various modes and in various parts of the 
world; the characteristics of the people and 
countries observed by the adventurous travel¬ 
lers, and what sufferings men may endure, and 
what contrive, to surmount the greatest dan 
gers and difficulties, are to be gathered from 
these pages; and surely such knowledge is wor¬ 
thy of attention. 

With most young persons books of travel are 



6 


PREFACE. 


favourites. The names of Mungo Park and 
others who have encountered terrible difficul¬ 
ties in exploring countries before unknown are 
familiar as “ household words.” Even the fic¬ 
titious attractions of Robinson Crusoe and Gul 
liver’s Voyage to Lilliput do not give them the 
superiority, in the youthful estimation. The 
desire to see other lands and other people, be¬ 
sides those among which we are born and reared 
is common. All, however, have not the means 
of gratifying themselves in this particular; and 
to those who are compelled to remain at home, 
narratives of adventurous travel must be a 
source of pleasure. To such, especially, our 
copious collection with its many illustrations 
may be recommended. 


CONTENTS. 


FAOl 

Adventures of a Traveller in Hungary.. 9 

Adventure on the St. Lawrence.21 

Adventures of Mr. William Mariner .30 

Adventure upon the Road....45 

Notes of a Traveller in Texas. 50 

Singular Encounter with a Cobra di Capello.65 

Tremendous Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. 68 

Adventures of James Bruce in Africa. 72 

Adventures of John Ledyard. 82 

Adventures of Mungo Park. 86 

M. Simond in Switzerland. 92 

Cavaliero’s Adventures in Egypt. 99 

A Winter in the Arctic Regions.106 

Perilous Ascent of Adam’s Peak, in Ceylon.110 

Adventures of Burckhardt.117 

A Traveller’s Encounter with Albanese Brigands ....135 

Adventures in Mexico.141 

Adventures in California.180 

Roughing it in Canada.212 

The Indians of Canada.223 

Encounter with the Banditti and Smugglers of Anda¬ 
lusia .254 

Meeting an Iceberg in the Northern Ocean.259 

Adventures in Circassia .262 

Encounter with Robbers in Turkey.277 

Adventures in Oregon. 282 

Terrible Shipwreck at the Cape of Good Hope.297 

Ascent of Mont Blanc by Mademoiselle D’Angeville . .299 




























8 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Loss OF tee Yryheid......308 

Adventures upon the Upper Missouri.313 

Wreck of the Forfarshire Steamboat..326 

The Crocodile Battery.*.330 

Shipwreck at King’s Island.346 

Adventure ' and Exploit of two Guides.350 

Destruction of an East Indian an by Fire.358 

Adventures in the Tyrol.363 

Perilous Adventure of Lieutenant Slidell in Spain...372 
Another Adventure of Lieutenant Slidell with Bob¬ 
bers in Spain ..\.382 

Adventures of Lieut. Col. Denham in Africa.390 

Visit of Mr. Ford to St. Yuste, the last Besidence of 

Charles V.398 

Sufferings of a Party on Franklin’s Journey to the 

Polar Sea..,. 406 

An Earthquake Adventure in Italy.445 

Adventures of Captain Head in Canada.457 

Adventures of an English Traveller at an Elephant 

Hunt in Nepaul.481 

Adventures of Capt. Golownin’s Party in Japan.491 

Loss of the Blendenhall..496 

Mr. Borrow’s Adventures among the Gipsies in Spain .509 
Excursion to the Great St. Bernard, by an English 
Lady. 532 




















PERILOUS ADVENTURES 


AND 

THRILLING INCIDENTS OF TRAVELLERS 


ADVENTURE OF A TRAVELLER IN 
HUNGARY. 


HIS story was told 
me, says a recent 
writer, by an Italian 
officer, who was ser¬ 
ving, at the time he 
first learned it, with 
the 4 Grande Armee’ 
of Napoleon. It 
seems to me to con¬ 
tain one of the most 
striking, most dra¬ 
matic, and terrible 
scenes that can be 
conceived, and I 
have only to regret 
that I lack the ta¬ 
lent or power of tell¬ 
ing the tale of horror so well as it was told to me. 

It was a few weeks before the termination of the 





io 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


short, but (for Austria) fatal campaign of 1809—that 
campaign which, begun nobly by the Austrians, ended 
in their seeing Buonaparte dictate to their prostrate 
empire from their capital, and shortly after claim as 
his bride the daughter of the sovereign he had so in¬ 
jured and humbled—that an Hungarian horse-dealer 
left Vienna to return to his home, which was situated 
in an interior province of his country. 

He carried with him, in paper-money and in gold, a. 
4 ery considerable sum, the product of the horses he 
had sold at the Austrian capital. To carry this in 
safety was a difficult object just at that time ; for troops, 
French and Austrian, were scattered in every direction, 
and he knew by experience, that it was not always 
safe to fall in with small parties of soldiers, even of his 
own country or government, (to say nothing of the 
French,) but that Croats, and wild Hussars and Hulans, 
and others that fought under the Austrian eagle, were 
seldom over-scrupulous as to “ keeping their hands 
from picking and stealing,’’ when opportunity was 
favourable or tempting. 

The dealer, however, relied on his minute knowledge' 
of the country he had traversed so often; on the bottom 
and .speed of his thorough-bred Hungarian horse;— 
and having obtained what he considered good informa¬ 
tion, as to the posts occupied by the belligerents, and 
the range of country most exposed to the soldiery, he 
set out from Vienna, which he feared would soon be in 
the hands of the enemy. He went alone, and on his 
road carefully avoided, instead of seeking the company 
of other travellers, for he reasonably judged, that a 
solitary individual, meanly dressed as he was, might 


ADVENTURE OF A TRAVELLER IN HUNGARY. 11 

escape notice, while a party of travellers would be sure 
to attract it. 

By his good management he passed the Hungarian 
frontier unharmed, and continued his journey home¬ 
ward by a circuitous unfrequented route. On the 
third night after his departure from Vienna, he stopped 
at a quiet inn, situated in the suburbs of a small town. 
He had never been there before, but the house was 
comfortable, and the appearance of the people about it 
respectable. Having first attended to his tired horsej 
he sat down to supper with his host and family. During 
the meal, he was asked whence he came, and when he 
had said from Vienna, all present were anxious to know 
the news. The dealer told them all he knew. The 
host then inquired what business had carried him to 
Vienna. He told them he had been there to sell some 
of the best horses that were ever taken to that market. 
When he heard this, the host cast a glance at one of 
the men of the family who seemed to be his son, which 
the dealer scarcely observed then, but which he had 
reason to recall afterwards. 

When supper was finished, the fatigued traveller re¬ 
quested to be shown to his bed. The host himself took 
up a light, and conducted him across a little yard at 
the back of the house to a detached building which 
contained two rooms, tolerably decent for a Hungarian 
hostel. In the inner of these rooms was a bed, and 
here the host left him to himself. As the dealer threw 
off his jacket and loosened the girdle round his waist 
where his money was deposited, he thought he might 
as well see whether it was all safe. Accordingly he 
drew out an old leathern purse that contained his gold, 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


1 2 

and then a tattered parchment pocket-boo^ au ,'jvei- 
oped the Austrian bank notes, and finding that both 
were quite right, he laid them under the bolster, extin¬ 
guished the light, and threw himself on the bed, 
thanking God and the saints that had carried him thus 
far homeward in safety. He had no misgiving as to 
the character of the people he had fallen amongst to 
hinder his repose, and the poor dealer was very soon 
enjoying a profound and happy sleep. 

He might have been in this state of beatitude an 
hour or two, when he was disturbed by a noise like that 
of an opening window, and by a sudden rush of cool 
night air; on raising himself on the bed, he saw peer¬ 
ing through an open window which was almost imme¬ 
diately above the bed, the head and shoulders of a man, 
who was evidently attempting to make his ingress into 
the room that way. As the terrified dealer looked, the 
intruding figure was withdrawn, and he heard a rum¬ 
bling noise, and then the voices of several men, as he 
thought, close under the window. The most dreadful 
apprehensions, the more horriole as they were so sudden, 
now agitated the traveller, who, scarcely knowing what 
he did, but utterly despairing of preserving his life, 
threw himself under the bed. He had scarcely done 
so when the hard breathing of a man was heard at the 
open window, and the next minute a robust fellow 
dropped into the room, and, after staggering across it, 
groped his way by the walls to the bed. Fear had 
almost deprived the horse dealer of his senses, but yet 
he perceived that the intruder, whoever he might be, 
was drunk. There was, however, slight comfort in 
this, for he might only have swallowed wine to make 


ADVENTURE OF A TRAVELLER IN HUNGARY. IB 

him the more desperate, and the traveller was convinced 
he had heard the voices of other men without, who 
might climb into the room to assist their brother villain 
in case any resistance should be made. His astonish¬ 
ment, however, was great and reviving, when he heard 
the fellow throw off his jacket on the floor, and then 
toss himself upon the bed under which he lay. Terror, 
however, had taken too firm a hold of the traveller to 
be shaken off at once,—his ideas were too confused to 
permit his imagining any other motive for such a mid¬ 
night intrusion on an unarmed man with property 
about him, save that of robbery and assassination, and 
he lay quiet where he was, until he heard the fellow 
above him snoring with all the sonorousness of a drunk¬ 
ard. Then, indeed, he would have left his hiding-place 
and gone to rouse the people in the inn to get another 
resting-place instead of the bed of which he had just 
been dispossessed in so singular a manner, but, just as 
he came to this resolution, he heard the door of the 
outer room open—then stealthy steps crossed it—then 
the door of the very room he was in was softly opened, 
and two men, one of whom was the host, and the other 
his son^ appeared on its threshold. 

“ Leave the light where it is,” whispered the host, 
“ or it may disturb him and give us trouble.” 

“ There is no fear of that,” said the younger man, 
also in a whisper, “ we are two to one; he has nothing 
but a little knife about him—he is dead asleep too! 
hear how he snores !” 

“ Do my bidding,” said the old man sternly; “ would 
you have him wake and rouse the neighbourhood with 
his screams ?” 


2 


14 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


As it was, the horror-stricken dealer under the bed 
could scarcely suppress a shriek, but he saw that the 
son left the light in the outer room, and then, pulling 
the door partially after them to screen the rays of the 
lamp from the bed, he saw the two murderers glide to 
the bed-side, and then heard a rustling motion as of 
arms descending on the bed-clothes, and a hissing, and 
then a grating sound, that turned his soul sick, for he 
knew it came from knives or daggers penetrating to the 
heart or vitals of a human being like himself, and only 
a few inches above his own body. This was followed 
by one sudden and violent start on the bed, accom¬ 
panied by a moan. Then the bed, which was a low 
one, was bent with an increase of weight caused by one 
or both the murderers throwing themselves upon it, 
until it pressed on the body of the traveller. There 
was an awful silence for a moment or two, and then the 
host said, “ He is finished—I have cut him across the 
throat—take the money. I saw him put it under his 
bolster.” 

“ I have it, here it is,” said the son; “ a purse and 
a pocket-book. 

The traveller was then relieved from the weight that 
had oppressed him almost to suffocation, and the assas¬ 
sins, who seemed to tremble as they went, ran out of 
the room, took up the light, and disappeared altogether, 
"rom the apartment. 

No sooner were they fairly gone, than the poor 
dealer crawled from under the bed, took one desperate 
leap, and escaped through the little window by which 
he had seen enter the unfortunate wretch who had 
evidently been murdered in his stead. He ran with all 


ADVENTURE OF A TRAVELLER IN HUNGARY. 15 

his speed into the town, where he told his horrid story 
and miraculous escape to the night-watch. The night- 
watch conducted him to the Burgomaster, who was soon 
aroused from his sleep, and acquainted with all that 
had happened. 

In less than half an hour from the time of his escape 
from it, the horse-dealer was again at the murderous 
inn with the magistrate and a strong force of the hor¬ 
ror-stricken inhabitants, and the night-watch, who had 
all run thither in the greatest silence. In the house 
all seemed as still as death, but as the party went 
round to the stables, they heard a noise; cautioning 
the rest to surround the inn and the outhouses, the 
magistrate with the traveller and some half dozen 
armed men ran to the stable door—this they opened, 
and found within the host and his son digging a grave. 

The first figure that met the eyes of the murderers 
was that of the traveller. The effect of this on their 
guilty souls was too much to be borne: they shrieked, 
and threw themselves on the ground, and though they 
were immediately seized by hard griping hands of real 
flesh and blood, and heard the voices of the magistrate 
and their friends and neighbours denouncing them as 
murderers, it was some minutes ere they could believe 
that the figure of the traveller that stood among them 
was other than a spirit. It was the hardier villain, 
the father, who, on hearing the stranger’s voice con¬ 
tinuing in conversation with the magistrate, first gained 
sufficient command over himself to raise his face from 
the earth; he saw the stranger still pale and haggard, 
but evidently unhurt. The murderer’s head spun round 
confusedly, but at length rising, he said to those whc 


16 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


held him, “ Let me see that stranger nearer; let me 
touch him—only let me touch him !” The poor horse- 
dealer drew back in horror and disgust. 

“ You may satisfy him in this,” said the magistrate, 
“ he is unarmed and unnerved, and we are here to pre¬ 
vent his doing you harm.” 

On this, the traveller let the host approach him, and 
pass his hand over his person, which when he had 
done, the villain exclaimed, “ I am ho murderer ! who 
says I am a murderer ?” 

“ That shall we see anon,” said the traveller, who 
led the way to the detached apartment, followed by the 
magistrate, by the two prisoners, and all the party 
which had collected in the stable on hearing what 
passed there. 

Both father and son walked with considerable confi¬ 
dence into the room, but when they saw by the lamps, 
the night-watch and others held over it, that there was 
a body covered with blood, lying upon the bed, they 
cried out, “How is this! who is this!” and rushed 
together to the bed-side. The lights were lowered; 
their rays fell upon the ghastly face and bleeding 
throat of a young man. At the sight, the younger of 
the murderers turned his head, and swooned in silence; 
but the father, uttering a shriek so loud, so awful, that 
one of the eternally damned alone might equal its 
effect, threw himself on the bed and on the gashed and 
bloody body, and murmuring in his throat, “ My son! 
I have killed mine own son !” also found a temporary 
relief from the horrors of his situation in insensibility. 
The next minute, the wretched hostess, who was inno¬ 
cent of* all that had passed, and who was, without 


ADVENTURE OF A TRAVELLER IN HUNGARY. 17 

knowing it, the wife of a murderer, the mother of a 
murderer, and the mother of a murdered son—of a son 
killed by a brother and a father, ran to the apartment, 
and would have increased tenfold its already insup¬ 
portable horrors by entering there, had she not been 
prevented by the honest towns-people. She had been 
roused from sleep by the noise made in the stable, and 
then by her husband’s shriek, and was now herself, 
shrieking and frantic, carried back into the inn by main 
force. 

The two murderers were forthwith bound and carried 
to the town gaol, where, on the examination, which 
was made the next morning, it appeared from evidence 
that the person murdered was the youngest son of the 
landlord of the inn, and a person never suspected of 
any crime more serious than habitual drunkenness; 
that instead of being in bed, as his father and brother 
had believed him, he had stolen out of the house, and 
joined a party of carousers in the town : of these boon 
companions, all appeared in evidence, and two of them 
deposed that the deceased, being exceedingly intoxi¬ 
cated, and dreading his father’s wrath, should he- rouse 
the house in'such a state, and at that late hour, had 
said to them that he would get through the window into 
the little detached apartment, and sleep there, as he 
had often done before, and that they two had accom¬ 
panied him, and assisted him to climb to the window. 
The deceased had reached the window once, and as 
they thought would have got safe through it, but drunk 
and unsteady as he was, he slipped back; they had 
then some difficulty in inducing him to climb again, for 
in the caprice of intoxication, he said he would rather 
2 * 




18 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 

go to sleep with one of his comrades. However, he 
had at last effected his entrance, and they, his two 
comrades, had gone to their respective homes. 

The wretched criminals w T ere executed a few weeks 
fter the commission of the crime. They had con¬ 
fessed every thing, and restored to the horse-dealer the 
goll and the paper-money they had concealed, and 
which had led them to a deed so much more atrocious 
than even they had contemplated. 











AN ADVENTURE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 





















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































A.N ADVENTURE DN THE ST. LAWRENCE. 


HE following narrative 
of a remarkable adven¬ 
ture on the St. Law¬ 
rence, appeared a num¬ 
ber of years ago in a Liv • 
erpool newspaper, where 
it was vouched for as 
true in every particular: 

“ On the 22d of April, 1810, our party set sail in a 
large schooner from Fort George, or Niagara Town, 
in Upper Canada, and in two days crossed Lake Ontario 
to Kingston, at the head of the river St. Lawrence, dis¬ 
tant from Niagara about 200 miles. Here we hired 
an American barge—a large flat-bottomed boat—to 
carry us to Montreal, a further distance of 200 miles: 
then set out from Kingston on the 28th of April, and 
arrived the same evening at Ogdenburgh, a distance 
of 75 miles. The following evening we arrived at 
Cornwall; and the succeeding night, at Pointe du Lac, 
on Lake St. Francis: here our bargemen obtained our 
permission to return up the river : and we embarked 
in another barge, deeply laden with potashes, passengers, 
jtnd luggage. Above Montreal, for nearly 100 miles, 
the river St. Lawrence is interrupted in its course by 
rapids, which are occasioned bv the river being con- 






22 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


fined within comparatively narrow, shallow, rocky chan¬ 
nels : through these it rushes with great force and 
noise, and is agitated like the ocean in a storm. Many 
people prefer these rapids, for grandeur of appearance, 
to the Falls of Niagara; they are from half a mile to 
nine miles long each, and require jregular pilots. On 
the 30th of April, we arrived at the village of the 
Cedars ; immediately below which are three sets of 
very dangerous rapids—the Cedars, the Split-Rock, 
and the Cascades—distant from each other about one 
mile. On the morning of the 1st of May, we set out 
from the Cedars; the barge very deep and very leaky; 
the captain, a daring, rash man, refused to take a 
pilot. After we passed the Cedar Rapid, not without 
danger, the captain called for some rum, swearing at 
the same time with horrid impiety that all the powers 
could not steer the barge better than he did. Soon 
after this, we entered the Split-Rock Rapids by a 
wrong channel, and found ourselves advancing rapidly 
towards a dreadful watery precipice, down which we 
went. The barge slightly grazed her bottom against 
the rock, and the fall was so great as nearly to take 
away the breath. We here took in a great deal of 
water, which was mostly baled out again before we hur 
ried on to what the Canadians call the grand bouillie , or 
great boiling. In approaching this place, the captain 
let go the helm, saying: “Now for it! here we fill!'’ 
The barge was almost immediately overwhelmed in the 
midst of immense foaming breakers, whiqh rushed over 
the bows, carrying away planks, oars, &c. About 
half a minute elapsed between the filling and going 
down of the barge, during which I had sufficient pre* 


ADVENTURE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE- 


23 


sence of mind to strip off my three coats, and was 
ioosening my suspenders, when the barge sank, and 1 
found myself floating in the midst of people, baggage, 
&c. Each man caught hold of something; one of the 
crew caught hold of me, and kept me down under water; 
but, contrary to my expectations, let me go again. On 
rising to the surface, I got hold of a trunk, on which 
two other men were then holding. Just at this spot 
where the Split-Rock Rapids terminate, the bank of 
the river is well inhabited, and we could see women on 
shore, running about, much agitated. A canoe put off, 
and picked up three of our number, who had gained the 
bottom of the barge, which had upset and got rid of its 
cargo: these they landed on an island. The canoe 
put off again, and was approaching near to where I 
was, with two others, holding on by the trunk; when, 
terrified with the vicinity of the Cascades, to which we 
were approaching, it put back, notwithstanding my ex¬ 
hortations in French and English, to induce the two 
men on board to advance. The bad hold which one 
man had of the trunk to which we were adhering, sub¬ 
jected him to constant immersions; and in order to 
escape his seizing hold of me, I let go the trunk, and 
in conjunction with another man, got hold of the boom 
—which, with the gaff, sails, &c. had been detached 
from the mast, to make room for the cargo—and floated 
off. I had just time to grasp this boom, when we were 
hurried into the Cascades: in these I was instantly 
buried, and nearly suffocated. On rising to the sur¬ 
face, I found one of my hands still on the boom, and 
my companion also adhering to the gaff. Shortly after 
descending the Cascades, I perceived the barge, bottom 


24 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


upwards, floating near me. I succeeded in getting to 
it, and held by a crack in one end of it; the violence 
of the water, and the falling out of the casks of ashes, 
had quite wrecked it. For a long time, I contented 
myself with this hold, not daring to endeavour to get 
upon the bottom, which I at length effected; and from 
this, my new situation, I called out to my companion, 
who still preserved his hold of the gaff. He shook his 
head; and when the waves suffered me to look up 
again, he was gone. He made no attempt to come 
near me, being unable or unwilling to let go his hold, 
and trust himself to the waves, which were then rolling 
over his head. 

“ The Cascades are a kind of fall or rapid descent in 
the river, over a rocky channel below: going down is 
called by the French muter —to leap or shove the 
Cascades. For two miles below, the channel continues 
in uproar, just like a storm at sea; and I was frequently 
nearly washed off the barge by the waves which rolled 
over it. I now entertained no hope whatever of es¬ 
caping ; and although I continued to exert myself to 
hold on, such was the state to which I was reduced by 
cold, that I wished only for speedy death, and frequently 
thought of giving up the contest as useless. I felt as 
if compressed into the size of a monkey; my hands 
appeared diminished in size one half; and I certainly 
hould—after I became very cold and much exhausted 
—have fallen asleep, but for the waves that were pass¬ 
ing over me, which obliged me to attend to my situa¬ 
tion. I had never descended the St Lawrence before; 
but I knew there were more rapids ahead—perhaps 
another set of the Cascades—but, at all events, the 


ADVENTURE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 


25 


La Chine Rapids, whose situation I did not exactly 
know. I was in hourly expectation of these putting an 
end to me, and often fancied some points of ice, ex¬ 
tending from the shore, to be the head of foaming rapids. 
At one of the moments in which the succession of waves 
permitted me to look up, I saw, at a distance, a canoe, 
with four men, coming towards me, and waited in confi¬ 
dence to hear the sound of their paddles; but in this I 
was disappointed: the men, as I afterwards learned, 
were Indians,—genuine descendants of the Tartars— 
who, happening to fall in with one of the passenger’s 
trunks, picked it up, and returned to the shore for the 
purpose of pillaging it, leaving, as they since acknowl¬ 
edged, the man on the boat to' his fate. Indeed, I am 
certain I should have had more to fear from their avarice 
than to hope from their humanity; and it is more than 
probable that my life would have been taken, to secure 
them in the possession of my watch and several half¬ 
eagles which I had about me. The accident happened 
at eight o’clock in the morning; in the course of some 
hours, as the day advanced, and the sun grew warmer, 
the wind blew from the south, and the water became 
calmer. I got upon my knees, and found myself in the 
small lake St. Louis, about three to five miles wide: 
with some difficulty, I got upon my feet, but was soon 
convinced, by cramps and spasms in all my sinews, 
that I was quite incapable of swimming any distance, 
and I was then two miles from the. shore. I was now 
going, with wind and current, to destruction; and cold, 
hungry, and fatigued, was obliged again to sit down in 
the water to rest, when an extraordinary circumstance 
greatly relieved me. On examining the wreck, to see 
3 


26 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 

if it were possible to detach any part of it to steer by, 
I perceived something loose, entangled in a fork of the 
wreck, and so carried along: this I found to be a small 
trunk, bottom upwards, which, with some difficulty, I 
dragged up upon the barge. After near an hour’s work, 
in which I broke my penknife, whilst trying to cut out 
the lock, I made a hole in the top, and, to my great 
satisfaction, drew out a bottle of rum, a cold tongue, 
some cheese, and a bag full of bread, cakes, &c. all wet. 
Of these I made a seasonable, though very moderate 
use; and the trunk answered the purpose of a chair to 
sit upon, elevated above the surface of the water. 

“ After in vain endeavouring to steer the wreck, or 
direct its course to the shore, and having made every 
signal—with my waistcoat, &c.—in my power to the 
several headlands which I had passed, I fancied I was 
driving into a bay, which, however, soon proved to be 
the termination of the lake, and the opening of the 
river, the current of which was carrying me rapidly 
along. I passed several small uninhabited islands ; but 
the banks of the river appearing to be covered with 
houses, I again renewed my signals, with my waistcoat 
and a shirt, which I took out of the trunk, hoping, as 
the river narrowed, they might be perceived. The 
distance wa§ too great. The velocity with which I was 
going convinced me of my near approach to the dread¬ 
ful rapids of La Chine. Night was drawing on; my 
destruction appeared certain, but it did not disturb me 
very much: the idea of death had lost its novelty, and 
had become quite familiar. I really felt more provoked 
at having escaped so long to be finally sacrificed, than 
alarmed at the prospect. Finding signals in vain, I 


ADVENTURE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 


27 


now set up a cry or howl, such as I thought best calcu¬ 
lated to carry to a distance, and, being favoured by the 
wind, it did, although at above a mile distant, reach 
the ears of some people on shore. At last I perceived 
a boat rowing towards me, which being very small and 
white-bottomed, I had for some time taken for a fowl 
with a white breast ^ and I was taken off the barge by 
Captain Johnstone, after being ten hours on the water. 
I found myself at the village of La Chine, twenty-one 
miles below where the accident happened, having been 
driven by the winding of the current a much greater 
distance. I received no other injury than bruised knees 
and breast, with a slight cold. The accident took some 
hold of my imagination, and for seven or eight suceed- 
ing nights, in my dreams, I was engaged in the dangers 
of the Cascades, and surrounded by drowning men, &c. 
My escape was owing to a concurrence of fortunate 
circumstances. I happened to catch hold of varions 
articles of support, and to exchange each article for 
another just at the right time. Nothing but the boom 
could have carried me down the Cascades without injury, 
and nothing but the barge could have saved me below 
them. I was also fortunate in having the whole day: 
had the accident happened one. hour later, I should have 
arrived opposite the village of La Chine after dark, and, 
of course, would have been destroyed in the rapids 
below, to which I was rapidly advancing. The trunk 
which furnished me with provisions and a resting-place 
above the water, I have every reason to think was 
necessary to save my life; without it, I must have 
passed the whole time in the water, and have been ex- 
nausted with cold and hunger. When the people on 


28 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


shore saw our boat take the wrong channel, they pre¬ 
dicted our destruction : the floating luggage, by sup* 
porting us for a time, enabled them to make an exer¬ 
tion to save us; but as it was not supposed possible to 
survive the passage of the Cascades, no fui ther exer ¬ 
tions were thought of, nor, indeed, could they well 
have been made. 

“It was at this very place that General Amherst’s 
brigade of three hundred men, coming to attack Canada, 
was lost: the French at Montreal received the first in¬ 
telligence of the invasion, by the dead bodies floating 
past the town. The pilot who conducted their first 
bateau , committing—it is said intentionally—the same 
error that we did, ran for the wrong channel, and the 
other bateaux following close, all were involved in the 
same destruction. The whole party with which I was, 
escaped : four left the barge at the Cedar village above 
the rapids, and went to Montreal by land; two more 
were saved by the canoe; the barge’s crew, all accus¬ 
tomed to labour, were lost; of the eight men who passed 
down the Cascades, none but myself escaped, or were 
seen again ; nor, indeed, was it possible for any one, 
without my extraordinary luck, and the aid of the 
barge, to which they must have been very close, to 
have escaped; the other men must have been drowned 
immediately on entering the Cascades. The trunks, &c. 
to which they adhered, and the heavy greatcoats which 
they had on, very probably helped to overwhelm them ; 
but they must have gone at all events: swimming in 
such a current of broken stormy waves was impossible; 
still, I think my knowing how to swim, kept me more 
collected, and rendered me more willing to part with 


ADVENTURE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. 


one article of support to gain a better; those who could 
not swim would naturally cling to whatever hold they 
first got; and, of course, many had very bad ones. 
The captain passed me above the Cascades on a sack 
of woollen clothes, which were doubtless soon saturated 
and sunk.” 















ADVENTURES OF MR. WILLIAM MARINER. 


R. William Mariner was a native of 
England. Possessing an intelli¬ 
gent mind and a daring disposition 
he, at an early age, evinced a desire 
to visit other lands. When quite 
a young man, he sailed as captain’s 
clerk, on board of the privateer, 
Port au Prince. This vessel had a twofold commission. 
If not very successful in her cruize for prizes within 
certain latitudes, she was to double Cape Horn, and 
proceed to the Pacific ocean in search of whales. 
Captain Duck, the commander of the Port au Prince, 
was Mr. Mariner’s particular friend. 

On her way to the South Pacific, the privateer cap¬ 
tured several Spanish vessels, and on arriving at the 
whaling ground, was very successful in the fishery. 





















HARPOONING A WHALE. 




















































































































































































































































































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ADVENTURES OF MR. WILLIAM MARINER. 33 

Without meeting with any accident, the crew contrived 
to take eleven whales. Some of these were of large 
size. The vessel then came to anchor in the port of 
Tola. In spite of the success of the privateer, the crew, 
apprehending that no very valuable prizes would be 
taken during the cruize became discontented, and there 
was a strong disposition to mutiny and desert. A leak 
in the vessel added to the causes of apprehension. 

After wooding and watering the ship at Tola, and 
procuring about fourteen bullocks, six pigs, and a quan¬ 
tity of fruit, she weighed anchor and made sail, leaving 
the prizes behind, after having stripped them of their 
anchors, cables, sails, &c. Finding the leak increase, 
she proceeded towards the island of Cocos, to careen. 
On Friday, the 14th of February, 1806, at sunset, this 
island appeared W-J S. twelve leagues, and the next 
day she came to an anchor in Chatham Bay. The 
water casks being sent on shore to fill, they began to 
careen the ship. On running the guns over to starboard, 
and heeling the shin four strokes, the leak was found 
to proceed from «, aving-piece not being properly se¬ 
cured under the foK "Fains. The copper under the 
larboard bow was found to be in a bad state; it was 
accordingly stripped off. and finch board was used for 
sheathing. On Tuesday, the 18th, the principal leaks 
were considered to be pretty well stopped, and the 
ship was therefore righted. After wooding, watering, 
and painting, she weighed anchor on the 25th, and 
made sail towards the whaling ground. On the 5th of 
March, having made Pan de Azucar, which bore N. 
six or seven leagues, she recommenced her whaling 
cruize, but which, notwithstanding the most diligent 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


34 

look out during the lapse of two or three weeks, was 
very unsuccessful; and hence the men began to be 
exceedingly discontented. 

On the 30th of March, she captured the Spanish brig 
Santa Isidora, Captain Josef Evernzega, from Guiaquil, 
bound to Acapulco, laden with cocoa. The Port au 
Prince now kept plying to windward, keeping a good 
look out for whales. On the 12th of May, she caught 
four whales, which, together with what had been caught 
before at sundry times, made up a number of fifteen, 
being the whole that were taken during the voyage. 

The labour and peril attendant upon the capture of 
these monsters of the deep had not been anticipated 
by the crew, and they continued to murmur. The 
privateer now proceeded northward towards the coast 
of California. On the 11th of August, Captain Duck, 
Mr. Mariner’s constant friend, died, and Mr. Brown 
succeeded to the command of the vessel. He was arbi¬ 
trary and incompetent, and caused the discontent of 
the crew to show itself plainly. He steered for the 
Sandwich Islands, but missing Otaheite, he anchored 
at the Tonga Islands, where Captain Cook had formerly 
visited. On the evening of the 29th of November, 
1806, a number of Indian chiefs came on board, with 
a large barbacued hog and some yams. A native of 
Owyhee, who spoke a little English, came with the 
party. 

On Monday, the first December, 1806, at eight 
o’clock in the morning, the natives began to assemble 
on board, and soon increased to 300 in different parts 
of the ship. About nine o’clock Tooi Tooi, the Sand¬ 
wich islander, before mentioned, who had endeavoured 
to inspire the ship’s company with a good opinion of 



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ADVENTURES OF MR. WILLIAM MARINER. 37 

the friendly disposition of the natives, came on board, 
and invited Mr. Brown to go on shore and view the 
country: he immediately complied, and went unarmed. 
About half an hour after he had left the ship, Mr. 
Mariner, who was in the steerage, went to the hatch 
for the sake of the light, as he was about to mend a 
pen ; looking up, he saw Mr. Dixon standing on a gun, 
endeavouring by his signs, to prevent more of the 
natives coming on board: at this moment he heard a 
loud shout from the Indians, and saw one of them 
knock Mr. Dixon down with a club: seeing now too 
clearly what was the matter, he turned about to run 
towards the gun-room, when an Indian caught hold of 
him by the hand: he luckily escaped from his grasp, 
ran down the scuttle, and reached the gun-room, where 
he found the cooper : but considering the magazine the 
safest place, they ran immediately there; and having 
consulted what was best to be done, they came to the 
resolution of blowing up the vessel, and, like Samson 
of old, to sacrifice themselvesand their enemies together. 
Bent upon this bold and heroic enterprise, Mr. Mariner 
repaired to the gun-room to procure flint and steel, but 
was not able to get at the muskets without making too 
much noise, for the arm-chest lay beneath the boarding- 
pikes, which had carelessly been -thrown down the scut¬ 
tle the preceding evening: the noise occasioned by 
clearing them away, as the uproar above began to 
cease, would undoubtedly have attracted the notice of 
the Indians; he therefore returned to the magazine, 
where he found the cooper in great distress from the 
apprehension of his impending fate. Mr. Mariner 
next proposed that they should go at once upon deck, 
4 


38 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


and be killed quickly, while their enemies were still hot 
with slaughter, rather than by greater delay subject 
themselves to the cruelties of cooler barbarity. After 
some hesitation, the cooper consented to follow if Mr. 
Mariner would lead the way. The latter thereupon 
w T ent up into the gun-room, and lifting up the hatch a 
little, saw Tooi Tooi and Ya-ca-ta-Bola examining 
Captain Duck’s sword and other arms that were in his 
bed-place. Their backs being turned, he lifted off the 
hatch entirely, and jumped up into the cabin : Tooi 
Tooi instantly turned round, Mr. Mariner presented 
his hands open, to signify that he was unarmed and at 
their mercy: he then uttered arogliah! (a word of 
friendly salutation among the Sandwich islanders) and 
asked him partly in English, and partly in his own lan¬ 
guage, if he meant to kill him, as he was ready to meet 
his fate. Tooi Tooi replied in broken English, that he 
should not be hurt, as the chiefs were already in pos¬ 
session of the ship, but that he wished to be informed 
how many persons there were below, to which Mr. 
Mariner answered, that there was only one, and then 
called up the cooper, who had not followed him the 
whole w r ay. Tooi Tooi led them upon deck towards 
one of the chiefs who had the direction of the conspi¬ 
racy. The first object that struck Mr. Mariner’s sight, 
on coming upon deck, was enough to thrill the stoutest 
heart: there sat upon the companion a short squab 
naked figure, of about fifty years of age, with a sea¬ 
man’s jacket, soaked with blood, thrown over one 
shoulder, on the other rested his ironwood club, spat¬ 
tered with blood and brains,—and what increased the 
frightfulness of his appearance was a constant blinking 
with one of his eyes, and a horrible convulsive motion 





BURNING OF THE PORT AU PRINCE. 








































































































































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ADVENTURES OF MR. WILLIAM MARINER. 41 

on one side of his mouth. On another part of the deck 
there lay twenty-two bodies perfectly naked, and ar¬ 
ranged side by side in even order. They were so 
dreadfully bruised and battered about the head, that 
only two or three of them could be recognized. At 
this time a man had just counted them, and was report¬ 
ing the number to the chief, who sat in the hammock- 
nettings ; immediately after which they began to throw 
them overboard. Mr. Mariner and the cooper were 
now brought into the presence of the chief, who looked 
at them awhile and smiled, probably on account of their 
dirty appearance. Mr. Mariner was then given in 
charge to a petty chief to be taken on shore, but the 
cooper was detained on board. 

In a little while Mr. Mariner was landed, and led to 
the most northern part of the island, a place called Co- 
oolo, where he saw, without being much affected at the 
sight, the cause of all that day’s disasters, Mr. Brown, 
the whaling master, lying dead upon the beach: the 
body was naked, and much bruised about the head and 
chest. They asked Mr. Mariner, by words and signs, 
if they had done right in killing him;—as he returned 
them no answer, one of them lifted up his club to knock 
out his brains, but was prevented by a superior chief, 
who ordered them to take their prisoner on board a 
large sailing canoe. Whilst here, he observed upon the 
beach an old man, whose countenance did not speak 
much in his favour, parading up and down with a large 
club in his hand. 

Mr. Mariner was completely stripped of his clothing, 
and exposed to the blistering heat of the sun. Three 
others of the crew were found dead near a fire where 
4* 


42 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


hogs were roasting. Finow, the king of the islands, 
took a fancy to Mr. Mariner, and cared for him. 
Several of the crew were preserved to assist the natives 
in war. The ship was burned, after her guns and some 
ammunition were conveyed on shore. 

Mr. Mariner remained at the Tonga islands for four 
years, during which time he underwent many hardships 
and made many narrow escapes from death. Finow 
continued to be his friend and protector, and in return 
for favours thus shown, the young Englishman was of 
much service to the natives in the wars, in which they 
were almost steadily engaged. Upon the death of 
Finow, his son succeeded to the chieftainship. At 
length, when Mr. Mariner had almost given up all hope 
of returning to England, he discovered an European 
vessel while on a fishing excursion. The natives re¬ 
fused to take him on board. But he was determined 
to go. and after he had wounded one of them and threat¬ 
ened the others, they complied with his demand. The 
vessel proved to be the brig Favourite, Captain Fisk, 
bound for China. Mr. Mariner easily obtained a pas¬ 
sage, and contrived to get two of his friends as well as 
the journal of the Port au Prince brought on board. 
The Favourite then sailed for China, whence Mr. 
Mariner proceeded in another ship to England. His 
relatives and friends had given him up as dead. His 
parents had deceased. His early trials and hardships 
had effectually cured him of the desire of wandering, 
and he now. settled down in England. A journal of 
his adventures and a description of the manners and 
customs of the natives of the Tonga islands, among 
whom he had so long resided, were afterwards published, 
and they made an interesting volume. 



AN ADVENTURE UPON THE ROAD, 
























ADVENTURE UPON THE ROAD. 


HE following curi- 
ous circumstance 
is from “ Nights 
at Mess,” pub¬ 
lished in Black¬ 
wood’s Maga¬ 
zine. About thir¬ 
ty years ago, Mr. 
B. having at that 
time newly com¬ 
menced business 
in Edinburgh, 
was returning on 
horseback from the city to a cottage he had near Cra- 
mond. It was a wild night in November, and though 
he usually took the seaside as the shortest way home, 
he resolved this evening, on account of the increasing 
darkness, to keep on the high-road. When he had 
proceeded about three miles from the town, and had 
come to the loneliest part of the way, he was suddenly 
arrested by a man, who sprang out of a small copse at 
the roadside, and seized the bridle of his horse. Mr. 
B. was a man of great calmness and resolution, and 
asked the man the reason of his behaviour, without 
betraying the smallest symptom of agitation. Not so 
the assailant. He held the bridle in his hand, but Mr. 



46 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


B. remarked that it trembled excessively. After re¬ 
maining some time, as if irresolute what to do, and 
without uttering a word, he let go his hold of the rein, 
and said in a trembling voice, 

“ Pass on, sir, pass on;” and then he added, “ thank 
heaven, I am yet free from crime.” 

Mr. B. was struck with the manner and appearance 
of the man, and said, “ I fear you are in distress—is 
there any thing in which a stranger can assist you ?” 

“ Strangers may, perhaps,” replied the man in a 
bitter tone, “ for nothing is to be hoped horn friends.” 

“ You speak, I hope, under some momentary feeling 
of disappointment.” 

“Pass on, pass on,” he said, impatiently; “I have 
no right to utter my complaints to you. Go home and 
thank the Almighty that a better spirit withheld me 
from my first intention when I heard you approach— 
or this might have been”-he suddenly paused. 

“ Stranger,” said Mr. B. in a tone of real kindness, 
“ you say you have no right to utter your complaints 
to me; I certainly have no right to pry into your con¬ 
cerns, but I am interested, I confess, by your manner 
and appearance, and I frankly make you an offer of 
any assistance I can bestow.” 

“You know not, sir,” replied the stranger, “the 
person to whom you make so generous a proposal—a 
wretch stained with vices—degraded from the station 
he once held, and on the eve of becoming a robber”— 
“ay,” he added, with a shudder, “perhaps a mur¬ 
derer.’ ' 

“I care not, I care not for your former crimes- 



ADVENTURE UPON THE ROAD. 47 

sufficient for me that you repent them—tell me wherein 
I can stand your friend ?” 

“ For myself, I am careless,” replied the man ; “ but 
there is one who looks to me with eyes of quiet and 
still unchanged affection, though she knows that I have 
brought her from a home of comfort, to share the fate 
of an outcast and a beggar; I wished for her sake, to 
become once more respectable, to leave a country where 
I am known, and to gain character, station, and wealth, 
to all which she is so justly entitled, in a foreign land; 
but I have not a shilling in the world.” Here he 
paused, and Mr. B. thought he saw him weep. He 
drew out his pocket book, and unfolded a bank bill; 
he put it into the man’s hand, and said, “ Here is what 
I hope will ease you from your present difficulties—it 
is a note for a hundred pounds.” The man started as 
he received the paper, and said in a low, subdued tone, 
“ I will not attempt to thank you sir. May I ask your 
name and address ?” Mr. B. gave him what he re¬ 
quired. 

“ Farewell, sir,” said the stranger. “When I have 
expiated my faults by a life of honesty and virtue, I 
will pray for you—till then I dare not.” 

Saying these words he bounded over the hedge and 
disappeared. Mr. B. rode home, wondering at the 
occurrence; and he has often said since, that he never 
derived so much pleasure from a hundred pounds in his 
life. He related the adventure to several of his friends; 
but as they were not all endowed with the same gene¬ 
rosity of spirit as himself, he was rather laughed at 
for his simplicity; and in the course of a few years an 
increasing and very prosperous business drove the 


48 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


transaction almost entirely from his mind. One day, 
however, about twelve years after the adventure, he 
was sitting with a few friends after dinner, when a note 
was put into his hands, and the servant told him that 
the Leith carrier had brought a hogshead of claret into 
the hall. He opened the note, and found it to contain 
an order for a hundred pounds, with interest up to that 
time, accompanied with the strongest expressions of 
gratitude for the service done to the writer long ago. 
It had no date; but informed him that he was happy, 
that he was respected, and that he was admitted part¬ 
ner of one of the first mercantile houses in the city 
where he lived. Every year the same present was con¬ 
tinued, always accompanied with a letter. Mr. B., 
strange to say, made no great effort to discover his 
correspondent. The wine, as I have good reason to 
know, was the finest that could be had, for many a 
good magnum of it have I drank at the hospitable table 
of my friend. At last he died, and the secret of who 
the mysterious correspondent might he, seemed in a 
fair way of dying with him. But my story is not yet 
done. When the funeral of Mr. B. had reached the 
Grey friar’s churchyard, the procession was joined by a 
gentleman, who got out of a very elegant carriage at 
the door of the church. He was a tall, handsome man, 
about forty-five years of age, dressed in the deepest 
mourning. There were no armorial hearings on the 
panel of his carriage, for I took the trouble to examine 
them very particularly myself. He was totally un¬ 
known to all the family; and after the ceremony, 
during which he appeared to be greatly affected, he 
went up to the chief mourner, and said, 


ADVENTURE UPON THE ROAD. 


49 


“I hope, sir, you will excuse the intrusion of a 
stranger, but I could not refrain from paying the last 
tribute of respect to an excellent gentleman, who was 
at one time more my benefactor than any person 
living. ,, 

Saying this, he bowed, stepped quickly into his 
carriage, and disappeared. Now, this, I have no doubt 
in my mind, was the very individual who had so much 
excited my curiosity. All I can say is, if he is still 
alive, I wish, when he dies, he would leave me his cellar 
of wine, for his judgment in that article, I’ll be bound 
to say, is unimpeachable and sublimo 








NOTES OF A TRAVELLER IN TEXAS. 

HE city of Antonio de Bexar, 
which was founded more than 
two centuries past, occupies 
a fertile plain on the west 
shore of the Antonio river, 
and now, even in its curtailed 
condition, reaches fully a mile 
along that beautiful stream, 
which in width extends, per¬ 
haps, to more than tialf that 
distance. It seems to have 
been regularly laid off into 
streets, crossing each other at 
right angles, with an oblong 
space in the centre, about midway of which stands the 
cathedral and other public buildings, dividing it into 
two equal divisions of some eight acres each, the eastern 
being denominated the civil, and the western the mili¬ 
tary square. Around the whole extent of these squares 
are erected a continuous wall of stone houses, which 
from the exterior, with their rough walls, their flat 
roofs, and their port-holes, resemble nothing but an 
impregnable fortification, while on the interior, with 
their plastered fronts, large windows, and spacious 
corridors, they present at once an appearance of com¬ 
fort, uniformity, and security. The other buildings are 




A 









SAN ANTONIO DE BEXAR, WITH THE ALAMO, WHERE CROCKETT FELL. 
























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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NOTES OF A TRAVELLER IN TEXAS. 58 

miserable huts, built of crooked muskeet-logs, stuck 
endwise into the ground, the crevices filled with clay, 
without windows, with dirt floors, and generally thatched 
with prairie grass or bull-rushes. The surface of the 
ground being level, the streets, which are without pave¬ 
ment, appear to have been prepared by the hand of 
nature for the especial purposes to which they have 
been appropriated by man. The suburbs on the east¬ 
ern bank of the San Antonio, where a considerable 
portion of the population reside, yield to the curvatures 
of the river from the Alamo to the full extent of the 
city. 

The river of San Antonio, which is formed by some 
half-dozen springs that burst up within a small com¬ 
pass, is, perhaps, one of the coolest and purest little 
rivers on the American continent. 

Besides affording an abundance of water to supply 
the numerous diverging ditches for irrigation, it sweeps 
on with a bold current, and with its flowery banks and 
its meandering channel winding gracefully through the 
city may be considered as its most valuable and inter¬ 
esting ornament. From early evening till the hour of 
midnight the inhabitants flock to it in crowds, for the 
purpose of bathing, and then the forms of hundreds of 
young and beautiful nymphs may be seen joyfully gam¬ 
bolling amongst its limpid waves. It is by no means an 
unusual sight to behold the forms of three or four young 
brunettes come dashing down the current, with their 
dark hair floating over their shoulders, and gliding like 
dolphins on the sea. The writer describes an incident 
which came within his notice during his visit to this 
beautiful river. He says—“ As I stood gazing on the 


54 


PERILOUS ADVENTURS. 


various forms before me, I beheld one younger and 
more delicate, rolling, curvetting, and sporting among 
the waves, whose tapering limbs and well formed figure 
shone amidst the sparkling waters like alabaster when 
exposed to the sunlight. She was the only female of 
light complexion I saw in San Antonio, and as she 
passed her flaxen ringlets fell wantonly about her white 
neck and half-developed bosom. She seemed artless 
and sinless as a child of the coral caves of the deep, 
deep ocean—but when her full blue eye turned up, and 
its glance met, in wild surprise, with ours, a blush of 
modest consciousness passed over her cheek, when she 
darted to the bottom to rise no more till distance had 
deprived us of the powers of discrimination.” 

The population of San Antonio is divided into three 
classes. The third is the connecting link between the 
savages and the Mexicans, and are termed Rancheros , 
(or herdsmen) a rude, uncultivated, fearless race of 
men, who spend a great part of their lives on the saddle, 
herding their cattle and horses, and in hunting deer 
and buffalo, or pursuing mustangs, with which this 
country so fully abounds. Unused to comfort, and 
regardless alike of ease and danger, they have a hardy, 
brigand, sun-burnt appearance, especially when seen 
with a broad, slouched hat, a red or striped shirt, deer¬ 
skin trowsers, and Indian moccasins. 

The second are a link between the Mexican and the 
Spaniard, or Castilian, and are somewhat more civi¬ 
lized, more superstitious, owing to the influence of the 
priest, and yet possessed of less bravery, less gene¬ 
rosity, and far less energy than the former. They 
reside in the city, with but scanty visible means of 


NOTES OF A TRAVELLER IN TEXAS. 


55 


support, and without the least effort to procure the 
comforts of life; still they vegetate, and appear to be 
perfectly independent and contented. Their usual dress 
is a broad-brim white hat, a roundabout, calico shir^ 
and wide trowsers, with a red sash or girdle around the 
waist. At an early hour of the day they go to mass, 
then loiter out the morning, sleep through the after¬ 
noon, and spend the night in gaming, dissipating, and 
dancing—but they drink but little liquor. Almost 
entirely uneducated, completely cut off from all inter¬ 
course with the world (for except a few paths and 
Indian trails, there is no appearance of a road to San 
Antonio,) and therefore deprived of the common means 
of intelligence—they have no enterprise or public zeal, 
no curiosity, but little patriotism—know nothing of 
government and laws, and seem incapable of feeling 
themselves, or appreciating in others, those lofty aspi¬ 
rations -which fire the brain, warm the heart, nerve the 
arm, and burn in the bosom of a free man. 

With apparent good nature, and much awkward 
courtesy, they are yet treacherous and deceptive, and 
can no more stand the frank, honest gaze of a real 
white man than a fox can the eye of a lion. 

The wives and daughters of the Rancheros are as 
rough and uncouth as their husbands and fathers, and 
disdain those light and polite amusements that generally 
amuse their sex. But the females of the second class 
are agreeable, handsome, and fascinating—although 
not particularly accomplished. They dress plain and 
tastefully, and in a style best calculated to develope 
the elegant proportion of their persons. 

Generally poor, they of course wear but few costly 


56 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


jewels; jet with much good sense seem to consider 
their own natural charms as the richest ornaments that 
can adorn a woman, and as those surest to attract the 
notice and secure the attention of the rougher portion 
of humanity. 

This class are the votaries of the fandangoes , for 
which San Antonio is so justly celebrated. 

Nightly, while yet fresh and buoyant with the exhila¬ 
rating effects of a siesta and bath, they flock by hun¬ 
dreds to those dirt floor saloons which are the scenes 
of mirth and music. 

Conducted with much decorum, and yet without such 
useless restraints as announcements, bows, and intro¬ 
ductions, the fandangoes were well calculated to afford 
rare sport for a company of young volunteers fresh 
from the United States; and so omnipotent was their 
influence over the ladies, and so terrible their appear¬ 
ance with pistols and bowie-knives to their brown¬ 
skinned neighbours, that the arrival of a single platoon 
was sufficient to clear the room of every Mexican, 
except a few, who stood around as silent and disinter¬ 
ested spectators. The English language is but little 
spoken at San Antonio, and not much Spanish is under¬ 
stood by a single trooper. 

It is frequently diverting to observe the sighs and 
soft glances of the gentlemen, and the smiles of recog¬ 
nition and nods of assent reciprocated by the ladies— 
and it is still more diverting at the end of the fandango, 
after each dancer has paid the fiddler, and treated his 
partner to some simple beverage prepared for the 
occasion, to see them pairing off by consent, and 


NOTES OF A TRAVELLER IN TEXAS. 57 

fcjmndy though not sentimentally, striking off by the 
light of vie stars to every quarter of the city. 

The class, now reduced to a limited number, is 
composed of the direct lineal descendants of Spanish 
dons and Castilian nobles, who, though stript of th 
titles and prerogatives which they enjoyed under a 
royal government; yet retain their dignity, their roy¬ 
alty, and their fortunes, and keeping aloof from the 
two degenerate and subordinate classes already de¬ 
scribed, are content to live in ease and aristocratic 
retirement. While a bench or two, a mitato for grind¬ 
ing corn, a copper kei'tle, an earthen jar, and a few 
cow hides and Mexican blankets spread on a dirt floor, 
with a shelf of clothes, and a saddle and larietto, are 
the articles of furniture usually found in the thatched 
hovels and stone huts of the two first classes, the com¬ 
fortable dwellings of the first are supplied with most of 
the comforts, and many articles of taste and elegance. 

In this class may be found gentlemen of education 
and talents, of polished manners, and refined and hos¬ 
pitable feelings ; and if the females in the second class 
are handsome and fascinating, those in the first class 
are splendid and irresistibly captivating. Having been 
educated either in the city of Mexico, the United 
States, or Europe, they have, with perhaps a very few 
exceptions, travelled much, seen much of the world— 
and those superlative advantages with which nature has 
gifted them, have been cultivated, cherished, and em¬ 
bellished. until they exceed in appearance, and equal 
in capacity, any women of the present day. And when 
collected within the luminous walls of a ball-room, as 
they were the evening preceding our departure, with 


58 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


graceful figures floating with elegance and dignified 
ease through the cotillion and waltz, w T hile the flashes 
from beneath the long drooping lashes of their dark 
eyes, eclipsed the dazzling lustre of the diamonds and 
costly crescents that clustered amongst the jet black 
braids of their hair, the belles and beauties of San 
Antonio looked like a band of houries from some fabled 
land of the East, or like an assemblage of young prin¬ 
cesses of some romance. 

They were all so young, so lovely, and so noble, and 
yet so very natural and unaffected—they smiled with 
such exquisite sweetness, laughed with such delight, 
their voices possessed so much melody, their mien was 
so artless, they danced so divinely, and spoke broken 
English so prettily, that more than a dozen of our 
troopers lost their hearts, while the heads of one or two 
were so completely turned, that they have looked west¬ 
ward ever since our return to America. 

This city has been the theatre of so many skirmishes, 
and so many revolutionary scenes, that not a house 
has escaped the indelible evidences of strife. The 
walls, windows, and doors on all sides, are perforated 
by thousands of balls, and even the steeple of the 
venerable church was penetrated by a shot from the 
ordnance of the Texians, during the first memorable 
action in December, 1835. The noted spots where the 
lamented Milam fell, where the fearless Ward lost his 
leg, and where the intrepid Beldin, after rushing out 
to spike the cannon, was deprived of an eye by a ball 
from the enemy, were all pointed out to me. 

The traces of the ditches across the streets, and 
along which they advanced from house to house, are 


NOTES OF A TRAVELLER IN TEXAS. 


59 


yet visible, and the unrepaired wall, then demolished 
by their hands, yet stands the proud monument of their 
patriotism and their prowess. 

We next visited the Alamo, on the east hank of the 
river, and opposite the northern extremity of the city. 
It stood in ruins as it was left by the Mexicans, and 
was occupied by a few hundred soldiers, and as many 
thousand chattering swallows, forever passing in and 
out like bees around a hive. 

By a broad archway through the centre of a fortress, 
which fronts the south, we entered an oblong square 
of some twelve acres extent, and turning obliquely to 
the left, we had passed all but the last of a long row 
of soldiers’ quarters, which form a part of the western 
wall, when our guide exclaimed, “ Here perished poor 
Crocket.” We then followed along the wall on the 
north and east until we came to an edifice of great 
strength, two stories high, and divided by thick walls 
and archways with many apartments, some of which 
are in good repair and others in ruins. This building 
stands detached from the wall, and it was in one of its 
rooms that Colonel Bowie was murdered while confined 
to his bed by sickness. Extending from its southeast¬ 
ern corner to the wall in the rear, is seen the splendid 
ruins of the cathedral, a building of beautiful propor¬ 
tions, entered by a large ornamental door fronting the 
west, on either side of which, between two deeply fluted 
stone columns, stands a figure of some holy saint, exe¬ 
cuted and finished with taste that would do credit to 
some of the best European sculptors. The roof had 
fallen in, but the high columns and part of the archway 
remained, and the cells and chambers that were once 


60 PERILOUS ADVENTURES 



CHAPEL OP SAN JOSE. 


the abode of priests and bishops, were filled with 
Camanche prisoners and mutinous soldiers, while ar 
armed guard stood upon the rear wall, directly 
the seat of the holy altar. 

Within a short distance, and very similar in appear 
ance to the Alamo, stands the mission of St. Jose 
Here, too, the hand of time and destruction is visible, 
yet the walls and the numerous edifices are more per 
feet, and the church is in a good state of preservation, 
although every thing about them is touched with a cast 
of great antiquity. This establishment, with its towers 
and steeples, and buttresses and spires, reminds the 
traveller of an old baronial castle in the feudal times; 


















NOTES OF A TRAVELLER IN TEXAS. 


61 


and as the ditch around its walls, which once served to 
irrigate the fields around it, answers for the “deep 
moat,” nothing but a draw bridge across the San Anto¬ 
nio is wanted to complete the delusion. 

The front of the church is embellished with a rich 
vine, within the curvatures of which are hearts and 
darts, the moon, the sun, and the globe; then there are 
cherubim and seraphim, with trumpets and garlands, 
and with mandates in their hands, who seem minister¬ 
ing to the wants and worshipping around the wrought 
figures of St. Jose, the Virgin Mary, with the infant 
in her arms. The whole is cut in stone, and stands 
out boldly from the wall. Within we found remnants 
of rich tapestry, fragments of images and crosses, and 
very natural-looking figures of St. Jose and Jesus, with 
his bandages and wreath of thorns, as he was seen after 
he was taken down from the cross. The vase for the 
holy water is chaste, and must have been beautiful 
indeed. Like every thing else, it is of stone, and 
represents four winged angels seated on a rich pedestal, 
and bearing in their hands a bowl resembling large 
convex leaves, diverging from the centre, which, with 
their pointed edges, form a beautiful brim. Here 
again were the evidences of warfare, which called to 
mind the events of the bloody revolution of 1835-6. 
On every side Nature had been bountiful in her gifts— 
the fertile soil still freshened by irrigation, and the 
multiplicity of bright flowers and fragant shrubs flash¬ 
ing among the waving grass like the rays of a prism 
whenever agitated by the slightest breath of wind. 

The climate was pure, the air sweet, the breeze fresh, 
and the sunbeams warm, though not sickening—yet 
6 


62 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


the thousands who once lived and moved and were 
happy upon this spot, had passed away, and wildness 
extended from the missions to the very walls of the 
city. It was then we wished for the genius, the fire, 
and the conception of a Byron, a Scott, or a Stephens, 
hat we might give vent to our feelings, and portray 
the beautiful prospect which surrounded us. 



MEXICAN MULETEERS. 



FIGHT BETWEEN A COBRA DI CAPELLO AND 
ICHNEUMON. 






SINGULAR ENCOUNTER WITH A COBRA 
DI CAPELLO. 



% V j ^UE cobra di capello is 


of the East. The lit- 
jjglgjjg; tie squirrel-like ani- 
Mjliips mal called the mun- 


^^2=^=- is its constant enemy. 


one of the most dead¬ 
ly serpents found in 
the warm countries 


goos, or ichneumon 


A British traveller in India was wandering on foot at 
night through a desolate part of the country, and at 
length overcome with fatigue, threw himself down on 
the dry spear-grass, and fell asleep. We will let him 
tell what then occurred to him. 

“ No doubt of it! I slept soundly, sweetly—no doubt 
of it! I have never since then slept in the open air 
either soundly or sweetly, for my awaking was full of 
horror! Before I w r as fully awake, however, I had a 
strange perception of danger, which tied me down to 
the earth, warning me against all motion. I knew that 
there was a shadow creeping over me, beneath which 
to lie in dumb inaction was the wisest resource. I felt 
that my lower extremities were being invaded by the 
heavy coils of a living chain; but as if a providential 
opiate had been infused into my system, pre> snting all 





66 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


movement of thew or sinew, I knew not till I was wide 
awake that an enormous serpent covered the whole of 
my nether limbs, up to the knees! 

“ 6 My God! I am lost!’ was the mental exclama¬ 
tion I made, as every drop of blood in my veins seemed 
turned to ice; and anon I shook like an aspen leaf, 
until the very fear that my sudden palsy might rouse 
the reptile, occasioned a revulsion of feeling, and I 
again lay paralyzed. 

“ It slept, or at all events rem ed stirless; and 
how long it so remained I know not, for time to the 
fear-struck is as the ring of eternity. All at once the 
sky cleared up—the moon shone out—the stars glanced 
over me; I could see them all, as I lay stretched on 
my side, one hand under my head, w r hence I dared not 
remove it; neither dared I look downward at the loath¬ 
some bed-fellow which my evil stars had sent me. 

“ Unexpectedly a new object of terror supervened: 
a curious purring sound behind me, followed by two 
smart taps on the ground, put the snake on the alert, 
for it moved, and I felt that it was crawling upward 
to my breast. At that moment, when I was almost 
maddened by insupportable apprehension into starting 
up to meet, perhaps, certain destruction, something 
sprang upon my shoulder—upon the reptile! There 
was a shrill cry from the new assailant, a loud, appall- 
ng hiss from the serpent. For an instant I could feel 
them wrestling, as it were, on my body; in the next, 
they were beside me on the turf; in another, a few 
paces off, struggling, twisting round each other, fight¬ 
ing furiously, I beheld them—a mungoos or ichneumon 
and a cobra di capello ! 


ENCOUNTER WITH A COBRA DI CAPELLO. 


67 


“ I started up ; I watched that most singular combat, 
for all was now clear as day. I saw them stand aloof 
for a moment—the deep, venomous fascination of the 
snaky glance powerless against the keen, quick, rest¬ 
less orbs of its opponent: I saw this duel of the eye 
exchange once more for closer conflict: I saw that the 
mungoos w,as bitten; that it darted away, doubtless in 
search of that still unknown plant whose juices are its 
alleged antidote against snake-bite; that it returned 
wdth fresh vigour to the attack; and then, glad sight! 
I saw the cobra di capello, maimed from hooded head 
to scaly tail, fall lifeless from its hitherto demi-erect 
position with a baffled hiss; while the wonderful victor, 
indulging itself in a series of leaps upon the body of 
its antagonist, danced and bounded about, purring and 
spitting like an enraged cat! 

“ Little graceful creature ! I have ever since kept 
a pet mungoos—the most attached, the most playful, 
and the most frog-devouring of all animals.” 






ERUPTION OP MOUNT VESUVIUS. 


TREMENDOUS ERUPTION OF MOUNT 
VESUVIUS. 


IR William Hamilton, an Eng- 
glish traveller, had the good 



fortune in 1822 to be an eye¬ 
witness of one of the grandest 


$ outbreaks of the volcano of Vesuvius ' 


on record. It occurred late in October. 
For several days previous a rumbling 
noise was heard, and vivid blue streaks 


of fire shot up from the crater, warning the people of 
Naples and the adjacent country of their danger. 
Terror seized upon the peasantry, and whole villages 
were deserted. 

The English traveller reached Resina, and thence 
walked up the mountain to the hermitage of San Salva- 





TREMENDOUS ERUPTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS. 69 

tore, situated on a flat at the foot of the terminating 
cone in which is the great crater. Here he found 
several of his country-people, and among them some 
ladies, whose anxiety to view this sublime spectacle 
near at hand had overcome their fears. From the 
hermitage he advanced nearer to the cone, and then 
descended into a hollow through which the great river 
of lava was flowing. As he approached it, he saw it 
come in contact with a fine large vineyard. The low, 
dried ’vines were immediately set on fire, and blazing 
all over in an instant, the destructive element spread 
to another and another vineyard, until considerable 
mischief was done. The lava, as in every eruption he 
has seen, so far from being rapid, was exceedingly 
slow in its course, flowing only a few feet in a minute. 
At this time it seemed tending directly to the unfortu¬ 
nate town of the Torre del Greco, which it threatened 
to overwhelm; but it afterwards turned aside, and 
following another hollow, rolled into a wide and deep 
chasm of the mountain. He then attempted to ascend 
by the side of this burning river towards the cone; but 
its heat, which set fire to brushwood and little trees at 
several feet distance, became insupportable. At every 
throe of the volcano the mountain shook beneath his 
feet, and he was already so near that the lapilla from 
the crater fell upon him like hail. This sort of ash, which 
is called lapilla, is an exceedingly light and porous sub¬ 
stance, resembling pumice-stone; and though it fell so 
thickly and in pieces as large as walnuts, it caused little 
annoyance. But the heat, as it has been said, was in¬ 
supportable; and as the fumes of the sulphur became 
still more so, causing a most disagreeable sensation of 


TO 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


suffocation, he returned to the hermitage. In a short 
time the quantity of smoke was so great and so black 
that it obscured the lava that produced it. Nothing 
could now be seen distinctly except the lightning flash¬ 
ing through a pitchy sky, and a part of the column of 
fire from the crater looking a lurid red. The noise, 
tremendous even as far off as Naples, was at a spot so 
near as the hermitage, utterly astounding. It should 
be noticed that this noise was produced by the passage 
through the air of the matter which the volcano ejected, 
and then the fall of that matter; for the forked light¬ 
ning was unaccompanied by thunder—it only played 
close round and above the crater, and seemed produced 
by electric fluid issuing thence, and to depend on the 
dense black clouds that flanked the ascending column 
of fire. 

The violence of this eruption was little abated for 
two days and nights. Fortunately, however, the lava, 
in the courses it took, did not find any town or village 
to destroy; and the lapilla and ashes or dust that fell 
in almost inconceivable quantities in every place in the 
neighbourhood were not difficult to remove, and indeed 
(that being the rainy season) were mainly washed away 
by the heavy rains shortly after. 

When the smoke cleared away from the mountain, 
which it did not for many days, it was perceived that 
the eruption had carried away the edges or lips of the 
crater, and materially altered the shape, and lowered 
the cone, of Vesuvius. The lava by this time, though 
its outer coating had cooled to such a degree that you 
could walk over it, still burned beneath; and it was 
many days more before what had been rivers of liquid 


TREMENDOUS ERUPTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS. 71 

fire became cold. Solid ridges were then seen, of what 
looked like hard, black, brittle stone, or rather like 
what smiths and iron-founders call clinkers. 

The main stream of lava was about fifty feet wide on 
an average. It ran for more than a mile; and had 
not the eruption ceased and stopped at its fountain 
head, even in the direction it had taken it would have 
soon destroyed a beautiful district between Vesuvius 
and the sea. * 



HEAPOLITAN COSTUMES. 

























* 



JAMES BRUCE. 


ADVENTURES OF JAMES BRUCE IN 
AFRICA. 


.AMES BRUCE was one 
of the most daring of 
modern travellers. He 
was born in Stirling- 
Scotland, on the 14th of 
December, 1730. In his earliest 
years he evinced a passion for 
books of travel, and devoted him¬ 
self to acquiring information in 
_ regard to foreign countries. He 
possessed great energy and intelligence. After trav¬ 
elling all over Europe, Bruce received the appointment 
of consul-general at Algiers, with new incentives to 
undertake the exploration of Africa. He reached 












ADVENTURES OF JAMES BRUCE IN AFRICA. 73 

Africa in March, 1763. After a short stay in Algiers 
he was deprived of his commission, and he then resolved 
to proceed as a private individual. Mr. Bruce was 
well fitted for this daring excursion. He was six feet 
four inches in height, and possessed great muscular 
strength. He was an excellent horseman and swimmer, 
and a wonderful marksman. His mind was vigorous 
and fertile in resources. 

On the 25th of August Mr. Bruce sailed for Tunis, 
stopping on his way thither at Utica and Carthage, the 
ruins of which cities he stayed some time to examine, 
making drawings of the most important parts, in which 
he was assisted by a young Bolognese artist, whom he 
had brought with him from Italy. In one of his incur¬ 
sions into the interior of the country, he discovered 
Cirta, the capital of Syphax, whence he returned to 
Tunis, and started thence for Tripoli, by way of Gabs 
and Gerba. On entering the desert which borders the 
latter town, he was attacked by the Arabs, and com¬ 
pelled to return to Tunis, where he remained till August, 
1766, when he crossed the desert in safety, and arrived 
at Tripoli. He next proceeded across the Gulf of 
Sydra to Bengazi and Ptolometa, and shortly after¬ 
wards set sail for Crete, when a shipwreck drove him 
again upon the African shore, with the loss of every 
thing but his drawings and books, which he had fortu¬ 
nately despatched from Tripoli to Smyrna. From 
Bengazi, the place of his shipwreck, and where he was 
very cruelly treated, he» escaped by a French vessel to 
Canea, where he was detained by an intermittent fever 
till the end of April, 1767, when he proceeded by way 
of Rhodes to Sidon. 


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ADVENTURES OF JAMES BRUCE IN AFRICA. 


79 


several cures of persons about the court attacked with 
the small-pox, he left the capital, and set out in search 
of the source of the Nile, which he discovered at Sac- 
cala, on the 14th of the following November. The 
joy he felt on the occasion is thus described by himself: 
“ It is easier to guess than to describe the situation of 
my mind at that moment; standing in that spot which 
had baffled the genius, history, and inquiry of both 
ancients and moderns, for the course of nearly three 
thousand years. Kings had attempted this discovery 
at the head of armies, and each expedition was distin¬ 
guished from the last only by the difference of the 
numbers who had perished, and agreed alone in the dis¬ 
appointment which had uniformly, and without excep¬ 
tion, followed them all. Fame, riches, and honour, had 
been held out for a series of ages to every individual 
of the myriads those princes commanded, without 
having produced one man capable of gratifying the curi¬ 
osity of his sovereign, or wiping off the stain upon the 
enterprise and abilities of mankind, or adding this de¬ 
sideratum for the encouragement of geography. Though 
a mere private Briton, I triumphed here in my own 
mind over kings" and their armies; and every com¬ 
parison was leading nearer and nearer to the presump¬ 
tion, when the place itself where I stood, the object of 
my vainglory, suggested what depressed my shortlived 
triumphs. I w T as but a few minutes arrived at the 
sources of the Nile, through numberless dangers and 
sufferings, the least of which would have overwhelmed 
me, but for the continual goodness and protection of 
Providence ; I was, however, then but half through my 
journey, and all those dangers which I had already 


80 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


passed awaited me again on my return. I found a 
despondency gaining ground fast upon me, and blasting 
the crown of laurels I had too rashly woven for my¬ 
self.” 

After returning to Gondar, our traveller found much 
difficulty in obtaining permission to proceed on his way 
homeward; it being a rule with the inhabitants never 
to allow a stranger to quit Abyssinia. A civil war 
breaking out in the country about the period of his 
intended departure, he was compelled to remain in it 
till the December of the following year, and took part 
in one of their battles, in which his valiant conduct-was 
such that the king presented him with a rich suit of 
apparel, and a gold chain of immense value. At length, 
at the end of 1771, he set out from Gondar, and in the 
February of the following year arrived at Senaar, where 
he remained two months, suffering under the most in¬ 
hospitable treatment, and deceived in his supplies of 
money, which compelled him to sell the gold chain he 
had been presented with. He then proceeded by 
Chiendi and Gooz through the Nubian desert, and on 
the 29th of November reached Assouan on the Nile, 
after a most dreadful and dangerous journey, in the 
course of which he lost all his camels and baggage, 
and twice laid himself down in the expectation of death. 
Having procured, however, fresh camels, he returned 
o the desert and recovered most part of his baggage, 
with which, on the 10th of January, he arrived at 
Cairo; where, ingratiating himself with the bey, he 
obtained permission for English commanders to bring 
their vessels and merchandise to Suez, as well as to 
Jidda,, an advantage no other European nation had 






V 





















































































































* 















» 











ADVENTURES OF JAMES BRUCE IN AFRICA. 


TO 


several cures of persons about the court attacked with 
the small-pox, he left the capital, and set out in search 
of the source of the Nile, which he discovered at Sac- 
cala, on the 14th of the following November. The 
joy he felt on the occasion is thus described by himself: 
“ It is easier to guess than to describe the situation of 
my mind at that moment; standing in that spot which 
had baffled the genius, history, and inquiry of both 
ancients and moderns, for the course of nearly -three 
thousand years. Kings had attempted this discovery 
at the head of armies, and each expedition w T as distin¬ 
guished from the last only by the difference of the 
numbers who had perished, and agreed alone in the dis¬ 
appointment which had uniformly, and without excep¬ 
tion, followed them all. Fame, riches, and honour, had 
been held out for a series of ages to every individual 
of the myriads those princes commanded, without 
having produced one man capable of gratifying the curi¬ 
osity of his sovereign, or wiping off the stain upon the 
enterprise and abilities of mankind, or adding this de¬ 
sideratum for the encouragement of geography. Though 
a mere private Briton, I triumphed here in my own 
mind over kings* and their armies; and every com¬ 
parison was leading nearer and nearer to the presump¬ 
tion, when the place itself where I stood, the object of 
my vainglory, suggested what depressed my shortlived 
triumphs. I was but a few minutes arrived at the 
sources of the Nile, through numberless dangers and 
sufferings, the least of which would have overwhelmed 
me, but for the continual goodness and protection of 
Providence ; I was, however, then but half through my 
journey, and all those dangers which I had already 



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ADVENTURES OF JAMES BRUCE IN AFRICA. 81 


bcftv^ been able to acquire. In the beginning of March 
he arrived at Alexandria, whence he sailed to Mar¬ 
seilles ; where he landed about the end of the month, 
suffering under great agony from a disease called the 
Guinea worm, which totally disabled him from walking, 
and had nearly proved fatal to him during his voyage. 
Notwithstanding, however, the perils he underwent, 
and the barbarities he witnessed during his travels, and 
particularly at Abyssinia, yet even that country he 
left with some regret, and would often recall with a 
feeling almost of tenderness the kindnesses he had 
received there, especially from the ras’s wife, Ozoro 
Esther, between himself and whom a very affectionate 
intimacy had existed. 

Mr. Bruce published a narrative of his adventures, 
which was not credited at that period; but it has since 
been substantially confirmed. 











ARREST OP LEDYARD. 

ADVENTURES OF JOHN LEDYARD. 

R. JOHN LEDYARD was 
born about 1750, at Groton, in 
Connecticut. His boyhood 
was distinguished for adven¬ 
tures among the Indians of 
America. His mind and body 
were formed for great achieve¬ 
ments. Fortitude, courage and perseverance were his 
prominent qualities. His activity was astonishing. 
After making a tour of the world with Captain Cook, 
he travelled alone, over the greater part of Europe and 
Asia. 
















ADVENTURES OF JOHN LEDYARD. 


83 


He arrived at St. Petersburgh in March, 1787, with¬ 
out shoes and stockings, which he was unable to pur¬ 
chase. In this state, however, he was treated with 
great attention by the Portuguese ambassador, who 
often invited him to dinner, and procured him an ad¬ 
vance of twenty guineas on a bill drawn on Sir Joseph 
Banks, and finally obtained him permission to accom¬ 
pany a convoy of provisions to Yakutz, where he was 
recognized and kindly received by Captain Billings, 
whom he had known in Cook’s vessel, and with whom he 
returned to Irkutsk. 

From hence he proceeded to Ocsakow, on the coast 
of the Kamschatkan Sea, whence in the spring, he 
intended to have passed over to that peninsula, and to 
have embarked on the eastern side in one of the Russian 
vessels trading to America; but finding the navigation 
obstructed, he returned to Yakutz to await the termi¬ 
nation of the winter. His intentions, however, were 
suddenly frustrated by the arrival of an order from the 
empress for his arrest, which took place in January, 
1788, without any reason being assigned for such a pro¬ 
ceeding. He was deprived of his papers, placed in a 
sledge, and under the guard of two Cossacks, conducted 
through the deserts of Siberia and Tartary to the fron¬ 
tiers of Poland, where he was left, covered with rags 
and vermin, and prohibited from returning to Russia on 
pain of death. In this situation he set out for Koenigs- 
bergh, on arriving at which town he obtained five 
guineas, by drawing a bill in the same manner as before, 
with which sum he proceeded to England. 

He then undertook, in the service, and at the expense, 
of Sir Joseph Banks, a voyage to Africa, to discover 


S4 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



TRAVELLING IN RUSSIA. 


the source of the Niger. He arrived at Alexandria on 
;he 5th of August, 1788, and on the 19th he reached 
Cairo. He then set about exploring the ancient monu¬ 
ments of Europe, and engaged in making preparations 
For his departure for Sennaar, when he was seized with 
i bilious fever which terminated his adventurous life. 
The details of Mr. Ledyard’s many tours have never 
been given to the world; hut it is certain that for hardi¬ 
hood he has never been surpassed. 

He left some manuscripts behind him, which were 
printed in London a few years after his death, in a 
work called Memoirs of the Society instituted for the 
encouraging Discoveries in the Interior of Africa. A 
work, entitled Voyages de MM. Ledyard et Lucas en 






ADVENTURES OF JOHN LEDYARD. 85 

en Afrique, suivis d’extraits d’autres voyages, was also 
printed at Paris in 1804. Mr. Ledyard, in his jour¬ 
nal, evinces great powers of observation, and a sound 
judgment and understanding. Some idea of his suffer¬ 
ings may be formed in reading the following extract : 
“I have known,” he writes, “both hunger and naked¬ 
ness to the utmost extremity of human suffering. 1 
have known what it is to have food given me as charity 
to a mad man; and I have at times been obliged to 
shelter myself under the miseries of that character to 
avoid a heavier calamity. My distresses have been 
greater than I have ever owned, or ever will own to 
any man. Such evils are terrible to bear; but they 
never yet had power to turn me from my purpose. If 
I live, I will faithfully perform in its utmost extent my 
engagements to the Society; and if I perish in the 
attempt, my honour will be safe, for death cancels all 
bonds.” 



8 





V*--- ' 





MUNGO PARK. 


ADVENTURES OF MUNGO PARK. 

UNGO PARK, the famous travel¬ 
ler, was a native of Fowlshiels, 
Scotland, and was born Septem¬ 
ber 10, 1771. He was educated 
for the medical profession, and, 
at an early age, made a voyage to 
Sumatra as a surgeon. 

On his return to England, hearing that the African 
Association was desirous of engaging a person to re¬ 
place Major Houghton, who, it was feared, had fallen 
a sacrifice to the cause of discovery in Africa, Park 
offered his services, and was accepted. He left Eng¬ 
land on the 22nd of May, 1795, and after a pleasant 





ADVENTURES OF MUNGO PARK. 


87 


voyage reached Jullifree, on the river Gambia. After 
a short stay at this place, the vessel continued her 
course up the river as far as Jonkakonda, where she 
was to take in a part of her cargo. Park, therefore, 
disembarked, and having a letter of introduction to a 
European, named Laidley, who lived at Pisania, six¬ 
teen miles higher up the river, he proceeded thither. 
From this gentleman he received the greatest attention, 
and was invited to remain in his house till an oppor¬ 
tunity offered of continuing his journey into the inte¬ 
rior. 

While waiting the occurrence of this opportunity, 
Park set about acquiring all the information he could 
procure regarding the countries which he was about to 
visit. He studied also the Mandingo language, which 
is in general use in this part of Africa. In the midst 
of these labours, however, he was seized with fever, 
having incautiously exposed himself to the night dew 
while observing an eclipse of the moon. 

Availing himself of his restoration to health, and the 
return of the dry season, Park now resolved to set out 
on his journey. He was attended by a negro to act as 
interpreter, who spoke both English and Mandingo, 
having acquired the former during a residence in Eng¬ 
land, and a boy-slave of Dr. Laidley’s, who, in order 
to stimulate him to behave well, was promised his free¬ 
dom on his return, in case Park should report favour¬ 
ably of his conduct. 

Nothing remarkable occurred till our traveller arrived 
at Fatteconda, the capital of Bondou, where he had 
scarcely arrived before he was sent for by the king, 
who was desirous to see him. As Park had heard that 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


88 

this monarch nad treated Major Houghton with great 
unkindness, and caused him to be plundered, it was 
not without a feeling of apprehension that he was 
ushered into h.s presence. He found him seated under 
a tree, and, after explaining to his majesty the object 
of his journey, he presented him with a quantity of 
gunpowder, some tobacco, and an umbrella. With the 
latter article he was particularly delighted, repeatedly 
furling and unfurling it, to the great admiration of him¬ 
self and his attendants, who could not for some time 
understand the use of such an article. 

By way of preserving from plunder part of his ward¬ 
robe, Park dressed himself in the best coat which it 
afforded. This article, however, ornamented as it was 
with yellow gilt buttons, so captivated the king’s fancy, 
that, after making a long speech on the liberality of 
the whites, he asked our traveller to make him a pre¬ 
sent of the coat, assuring him at the same time that 
he would wear it on all public occasions, and inform 
every one who saw it of his generous conduct. The 
request of an African prince in his own dominions, 
particularly when made to an unprotected stranger, is 
little short of a command. Park knew very well that 
if the king did not obtain the object of his wishes by 
fair means he would do so by force; he, therefore, at 
once pulled off his coat, and laid it at the monarch’s 
feet. 

From this place Park proceeded to Joag, the frontier 
town of the kingdom of Kajaaga, and during the night 
the house in which he slept was surrounded by an 
armed band of horsemen, who told him that as he 
had entered the town without first paying the customs, 


ADVENTURES OF MUNGO PARK. 


89 


or giving any present to the king, according to the laws 
of the country, his people, cattle, and baggage were 
forfeited; that they had orders from his majesty to 
take him to Maana, where he resided, and that, if he 
refused to accompany them peaceably, they must bring 
him by force. After some little delay, Park replied 
that, being a stranger, unacquainted with the customs 
of their country, he had infringed their laws from igno¬ 
rance, and not from any desire to violate them, and 
that he was now ready to pay whatever they demanded. 
He then presented them with some pieces of gold, but, 
not content with this, they insisted on examining his 
baggage, from which they helped themselves to what¬ 
ever took their fancy. In short, after robbing him of 
half his goods, they left him. 

On his arrival at Kaarta, our traveller found that 
the king of Bambarra had declared war against the 
Kartans, and that it would therefore be necessary for 
him to proceed thither by a circuitous route through 
the Moorish kingdom of Ludamar. Having, therefore, 
procured an escort from the king of Kaarta, he set out 
for Jarra. 

After travelling a few days, exposed to great suffer¬ 
ing from the heat of the weather and the scarcity of 
water, they arrived at a Negro village called Samee, 
where they were kindly received, and Park was con¬ 
gratulating himself that he was now out of reach of all 
danger from the Moors, when a party suddenly entered 
the hut where he was, telling him they had come by 
order of Ali (the Moorish king,) to conduct him to the 
camp. He was therefore forced to accompany them. 
After a journey of four or five days, they arrived at 
8 * 


90 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



PARK AND THE FROGS. 


Benown, where Ali’s army was then encamped. Here 
Park was during te$ weeks, exposed to all the insults 
and indignities which could be contrived by some of the 
rudest savages on earth. 

We have not space to detail all the trials and suffer- 
ngs of Mr. Park. He contrived to escape from the 
Moors, but nearly starved to death in the desert. He 
also suffered dreadfully from thirst. At length he 
found some pools of muddy water, where he quenched 
his own and his horse’s thirst. At these pools the 
frogs were so numerous that Park had fo beat them 




ADVENTURES OF MUNGC PARK. 


91 


away with a branch before his horse could drink. Con¬ 
tinuing his journey, Park reached the majestic Niger. 
He followed this river towards its source, meeting with 
perils of every description, which, in a short time, 
obliged him to return. He succeeded in reaching Eng¬ 
land. Undaunted by the dangers he knew to be attend¬ 
ant upon the journey, Park once more set out to dis¬ 
cover the source of the Niger. He was attacked by 
the natives of Yaour while passing up the river, and 
seeing no chance of escape, he leaped into the Niger 
and perished. This was a fit termination of a career 
so adventurous. 



ATBJOAIf ELEPHANT. 



M. SIMOND IN SWITZERLAND. 

N all the Alpine ranges of Switzerland, 
the Tyrol, and Italy, on the approach 
of summer the peasants lead their 
herds up to the pasturages on the 
mountains. These, from their height, 
are uninhabitable during the winter 
and early spring months. They are 
resorted to at different seasons, according to their 









M. SIMOND TN SWITZERLAND. 9S 

heights; and some of them, placed at an elevation of 
6000 or 7000 feet above the level of the sea, affording 
food for the cattle but for a short period, the covering of 
snow not disappearing till June, and winter closing in 
at the end of August, or beginning of September. In 
these Alpine heights are built log-huts, called chalets, 
in which the herdsmen and their cattle are sheltered. 
In some parts of the higher Alps the peasants remain 
during the whole season, without returning more than 
twice or thrice to fetch up a scanty supply of meal, the 
remainder of their food being the milk of the cattle and 
the cheese made in the chalets. As the higher grounds 
are only accessible by steep and winding foot-paths, the 
few articles of food, and the churn and pails necessary 
for the preparation of the cheese, are carried up on the 
backs of the herdsmen, who thus pass their time with 
their cattle in entire solitude. Sometimes a single man 
has the charge of ten or fifteen cows, and remains for 
ten or twelve weeks hung up amidst pine-forests, rocks, 
and glaciers of ice,» without seeing a human being. 
Their appearance is in general wretched and dull; and 
when by chance a wandering traveller visits their 
haunts, they will follow him for miles, in order to ex¬ 
change with him a few words of conversation. On the 
approach of winter they return with the cattle and the 
stock of cheese that has been made in the mountains. 

The following extract from Mr. Simond’s 4 Travels in 
Switzerland’ describes one of these mountain chalets; 
but those in the higher mountains are far more dreary, 
and possess even less of comfort and convenience. 

“ The higher ridge of the Scheideck, when we passed 
it, was crowded with cattle, assembled there for miles 


94 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


to avoid tlie flies, which in more sheltered situations 
torment them during the heat of the day. The natural 
process by which soil is made was every where observ¬ 
able on the Eselsriicken (Ass’s Back), where the un¬ 
covered edge of the slate is so far decomposed by expo¬ 
sure to weather, that large fragments, apparently sound, 
crumbled into black dust under our feet. This dust, 
fertilized by the cattle, is in some places covered with 
grass; in others it is washed away to lower grounds, 
leaving the surface of the slate again exposed to the 
weather, to be farther decomposed. 

“ Some way beyond this ridge we came to a chalet, 
which, being occupied by the shepherds, afforded more 
conveniencies than our halt of yesterday. Here a fire 
was already blazing in a sort of pit or trench dug 
around by way of a seat, and a huge kettle hung over 
for the purpose of cheese-making. We had plenty of 
cream furnished us, in which the spoon literally stood 
on end, a kettle to make coffee, and wooden ladles by 
way of cups. All the utensils were made of maple, of 
linden, and of a sort of odorous pine (pinus cernbra :), 
by the shepherds themselves, who bestow much time on 
this manufacture. We noticed the portable seat with 
a single leg, oddly strapped to the back of those who 
milk the cows; the milk-pails, the milk-hod fastened to 
their shoulders, the measures, the ladles made in the 
shape of shells, the milk-strainer (a tripod funnel full 
of pine leaves), the vase in which rennet (used to 
coagulate milk) is preserved, the press, the form, and 
many other implements of their trade, all elegantly 
shaped, and very clean. 

“ The chalet itself was an American lDg-house of the 


M. SIMOND IN SWITZERLAND. 


95 


rudest construction; the roof, composed of clumsy 
shingles, gave vent to the smoke in the absence of a 
chimney; this roof, projecting eight or ten feet, formed 
a sort of piazza, called the milkgang, a German word, 
which, like many others in that language, needs no 
English translation. 

“ The bed-room of the shepherds in these summer 
chalets is a wooden gallery, hung up over the milkgang, 
close to the projecting roof; they go up to it by a lad¬ 
der, and all herd together on a little straw, never 
changed. The cows come home to be milked, attracted 
from the most distant pastures by a handful of salt, 
which the shepherd draws out of a leathern pouch 
hanging across his shoulder. The ground round the 
chalet is so broken, poached, and made filthy by tread¬ 
ing of cattle, that without stepping-stones it would be 
difficult to reach the door; to finish the picture, a herd 
of swine ranges about, waiting for the allotted portion 
of butter-milk and curds. All this is, no doubt, very 
different from Rousseau’s charming description of a 
chalet; but the chalets about Heloise’s residences were 
family dwellings, inhabited the whole year round, and 
such as are found on lower mountains only; they are 
kept perfectly clean and comfortable, and are in all 
respects different from those on the High Alps, con¬ 
structed for mere temporary shelters during a few 
months: no women live in the latter. 

“ When the weather is tempestuous, the shepherds, 
or rather the herdsmen, are up all night in the moun¬ 
tains with their cattle, calling to them, as without this 
precaution they might take fright, run into dangers, and 
be lost. A few places of shelter, built of logs on the 


96 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


principal pastures, would, it seems, answer the purpose 
better with less trouble. The cattle look very beautiful 
and active, full of spirit and • wild sport; they shou 
much more curiosity and intelligence than the rest of 
their kind, and often follow travellers from rocks tc 
rocks a long while, merely to observe them. Bulls, 
notwithstanding the fierceness of their looks, nevei 
attack any body. Mr. Ramond, in his notes on Coxe’s 
Travels, tells an interesting story concerning these 
animals, which, if it should happen not to be quite 
true, at least deserves to he so. Speaking of their 
antipathy for bears— 4 It is impossible,’ he says, 4 to 
restrain a bull when he scents a bear in the neighbour¬ 
hood ; he comes up to him, and a running fight begins, 
which often lasts for several days, and till one of the 
two is killed. In a plain the bear has the advantage; 
among rocks and trees the bull. (I should have thought 
just the reverse.) Once, in the Canton of Uri, a bull 
went in pursuit of a bear, and did not return; after 
searching for him three successive days, he was found 
motionless, squeezing against a rock his enemy, which 
had been long dead, was quite stiff and cold, and almost 
crushed to pieces by the pressure ; such had been the 
efforts of the bull, that his feet were deep sunk into the 
ground.” 








































































CAYALIERO’S ADVENTURES IN EGYPT. 


RANCESCO CAVALIERO accompa¬ 
nied Bonaparte in his famous expedition 
to Egypt, and was captured by the 
Arabs. Upon his release he published 
an account of his travels and adventures 
while in captivity. When he was taken 
to Cairo, he became pipe-bearer to a 
Turkish officer. He gives the following account of his 
service:— 

“ Solyman Aga, my new master, sent for me, and 
gave me a fan made of ostrich feathers to drive the flies 
from him, and cool him at meals. There were five 
other officers beside Solyman Aga that messed together, 
and who could speak very little Arabic, but I found 
their manners much more polite and genteel than any 
of the natives; they were also cleanlier both in their 
cooking and eating; using spoons, but neither knife 
ncr fork. They drink nothing but water with their 
meals; but after their repast they retire with their 
companions to a separate room, and there indulge in 
drinking the strongest liquors, but never take any 
before their servants. After being here a few days, 
Solyman sent for me, saying I was to follow him on 
horseback when he rode out, also giving me the care 
of four large pipes, the stems of which were at least 






100 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


two yards and a half long, and his tobacco hag. With 
these I was to follow him either on horseback or on 
foot, and always be in attendance to light his pipe when 
he wanted it: he also named me Assan Bendler, not 
knowing I had already been christened Ragib Achmet 
by the Arabs, and I did not think it necessary to 
acquaint him. He also instructed me in the Turkish 
prayers, and occasionally sent me to the bagnios, or 
vapour baths, attended by two soldiers to guard me¬ 
lt is hardly credible the attention they pay to you at 
these baths: first they undressed me in a room, tying 
a towel round my middle, then led me to the inner 
room, where they made all my joints snap by rubbing 
me with a mohair-bag about the size of a man’s hand, 
which takes away all uncleanliness from perspiration; 
then washed me with warm arid afterwards cold water, 
covered me with a dry cloth, and led me back to the 
first room, and laid me upon a bed, and whilst one 
person was wiping my body, another was rubbing my 
feet with a pumice stone; all this was done for the 
trifling sum of 40 paras, about 18 d. sterling. I found 
so much benefit from these baths, that I requested 
leave to go to them twice a week, which my master 
granted. After having been about two months with 
him, he wished me to be dressed in the Mameluke 
manner, which was a much lighter dress and richer 
than my former; he also gave me a poniard, which I 
was always to wear when I went out with him. He 
told me that he expected soon to return to Constanti¬ 
nople, and would take me along with him. I was very 
glad to hear this, as I was in hopes when I arrived 
there to meet with some Christian minister to apply to 





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SOLTMAN AGA. 
























































































































































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CAVALIERO’S ADVENTURES IN EGYPT. 103 

for my freedom. He wished me to undergo the opera¬ 
tion of circumcision, as he said no one could be a good 
Musselman without it. Showing him my wounds, and 
telling him they were very painful, but that at a future 
period I would comply with his request, he gave me to 
understand, by a native, that if I r sed to become a 
Turk, he would tie me in a bag and throw me into the 
river Nile. This gave me great uneasiness, as I thought 
to myself that I certainly should lose my life if I did 
not comply with his request. I therefore prayed to 
the Almighty to be merciful to me, and assist me in 
this time of trial, determining within myself to follow 
the Christian religion. Solyman Aga said nothing 
more about it for some time; he still continued to take 
me with him when he went on his visits. Sometimes 
he had parties to dinner; their victuals are served up 
in large copper dishes, tinned inside; they use no 
plates, but every one helps himself out of the common 
dish with a spoon, and they have but two or three 
dishes brought in at a time. They have neither table 
nor table-cloth, but each person has a napkin. A piece 
of leather is spread on the floor, which they all set upon 
with their legs across, and the morsels that occasionally 
drop on the leather are taken care of and given to the 
poor. The rooms are generally spacious, with carpets 
at the extremities of them, and cushions to rest them¬ 
selves upon. The only ornaments they have in the 
rooms are warlike instruments of different descriptions 
hung in different parts. About a month had expired 
when Solyman Aga sent for me, and claimed the per¬ 
formance of my promise: not knowing any probable 
mode of escaping, I consented, but with considerable 


104 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


apprehension, which displeased him very much. The 
operator arrived and produced his instruments, which 
totally took away the fear of death, and made me deter¬ 
mine to object to the operation. This refusal put 
Solyman Aga into a violent rage, and he abused me 
very much in his own language, ordering me to strip 
off the clothes he had given me, and giving me a suit 
much inferior. Now once more I found myself very 
uncomfortably situated; having lost the friendship I 
had gained, the whole household despised me; as they 
passed me they made signs, giving me to understand 
that if I did not become a Mussulman, I should have 
my head taken off. In this miserable state I did not 
remain long, the Almighty being merciful and hearing 
my prayers, and I was soon delivered from the hands 
of those Turks. One of the officers belonging to Soly¬ 
man Aga being taken ill of a disorder, it was thought 
necessary to consult a European doctor, and to my 
great astonishment I recollected him to have been in 
Bonaparte’s army. I approached the doctor, and 
addressed him by his name, but he had no recollection 
of me. I told him my name, and in whose service I 
had been; he seemed greatly astonished, as he had 
heard Colonel Broune say many times that I had been 
killed. I then acquainted him how I came in my 
present situation, and how cruelly they had used me. 
He then asked me if-1 had changed my religion ; I 
replied no, but that I expected every moment to be 
forced to do so. This gentleman filled my heart with 
rapture, saying that if I could keep myself from doing 
so for twenty-four hours, he would apply to the grand 
vizier for my liberty, he being under his protection. 


CAVALIERO’S ADVENTURES IN EGYPT. 


105 



The twenty-four hours had not expired before this 
humane gentleman came with a Turkish officer, and a 
letter from the grand vizier for Solyman Aga. After 
reading the contents, and finding it was for my liberty, 
his countenance instantly changed with a sanguinary 
look both at the gentleman and myself. I expected 
every moment my head would be separated from my 
shoulders, but his passion by degrees subsided, and at 
length, by the interference of the officer who brought 
the vizier’s letter, he consented that I should go, but 
not until he was repaid the sum he had given for me, 
which the gentleman immediately paid to Solyman 
Aga, who also made him pay for the clothes I had on, 
after which the Turkish officer took my hand and con¬ 
ducted me to this gentleman’s house in safety, when I 
thought myself to be once more the happiest man living. 
The gentleman made me take off the Turkish dress, 
and gave me some of his own. I then related to him 
all the dangers and hardships I had undergone during 
the fourteen months I was with the Arabs, and five 
months with the Turks. 




A WINTER IN THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 


R. KING, an English adven¬ 
turer in the region at the ex¬ 
treme north of America, thus 
speaks of his -wintry experi¬ 
ence :— 

As the severe weather was 
by this time over, and I had 
seen the thermometer, on the 17th of January, 102° 
below the freezing-point, had slept in an atmosphere 
of 82 below, 4 under the canopy of heaven,’ with a sin¬ 
gle blanket for a covering, and had had some experience 
in snow-shoe walking, I may be allowed to make a few 
remarks upon the intensity of cold in the inhospitable 
regions of the north, as they are termed. During a 
calm, whether the thermometer stood at 70° or 7° 
minus zero, was to me in sensation the same; and 
although I have experienced a difference in temperature 
of 80° from cold to heat, and vice versa , in the course 
of twenty-four hours, still its change was not sufficiently 
oppressive to put a stop to my usual avocations. I 
have been shooting grouse at every range of the ther¬ 
mometer from the highest to the lowest point, wearing 
the very same clothing as in England on a summer’s day, 
a fur cap, moccasins, and mittens excepted, instead of a 
hat, tanned leather shoes or boots, and kid gloves 






SCENE IN THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 















A WINTER JN THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 


109 


Merely a cotton shirt was sufficient to protect my 
breast from the most intense cold that has ever been 
registered; and notwithstanding my waistcoats were 
made double breasted, I never felt sufficiently cold to 
be under the necessity of buttoning them ; neither flan¬ 
nel nor leather was worn by me in any way. It must 
be understood, however, that I am only speaking of 
the temperature during a calm, or when the atmosphere 
is but slightly in motion. The lowest descent of the 
thermometer would not pre ent my making an excur¬ 
sion of pleasure; but a higher temperature by 40°, 
accompanying a stiff breeze, would confine me to the 
house: the sensation of cold, as I have said before, 
depends so much more upon the force of the wind than 
upon the t state of the thermometer. Such endurance 
may appear incredible to those persons who have read 
each ponderous quarto as it issued forth, fearful in 
aspect as in subject; and it is no wonder. I was 
astonished at myself, while sporting in a country always 
portrayed as unfit either for man or beast; but, what 
was my astonishment, when, hopping before me from 
bough to bough, the lesser red-pole, caught my sight, 
the little bird that so frequently adorns, in England, 
the cottager’s room ! If so small a creature can find 
the climates of England and Great Slave Lake equally 
congenial to its constitution, surely man may exist 
there. A sudden transition from heat to cold produced 
cramps ; a fact well worthy the notice of those persons 
who are subject to that painful disease,—for an extra 
blanket or two, and a trusty thermometer to indicate 
when to put them on and pull them off, may save much 
excruciating pain and many restless nights. 

10 



BUDDHIST PRIEST OP CEEXON. 


PERILOUS ASCENT OF ADAM’S PEAK IN 
CEYLON. 

UT few Eropeans have had the courage 
and perseverance to ascend the famous 
mountain in Ceylon which terminates 
in Adam’s Peak. Mr. Marshall, who 
made the venture, has given us an ac¬ 
count of the ascent in his Tour in 

Ceylon. 

This gentleman performed the fatiguing journey in 
1819, accompanied by S. Sawers, Esq., Commissioner 










PERILOUS ASCENT OF ADAM S PEAK IN CEYLON. Ill 

of Revenue in the Kandyan provinces. Starting from 
the city of Kandy, and proceeding in a south-westerly 
direction towards the mountain, the travellers were 
three, days in performing thirty-nine miles, so rugged 
in parts, and in others covered with forest trees and 
low jungle, was the country which they had to traverse. 
On the third day they saw the few huts of the natives, 
built on the extreme jagged points of the loftiest moun¬ 
tains, to escape the ravages of elephants. At the end 
of this day’s journey they were only eighteen miles 
from the foot of the peak, or the upper cone, yet it took 
them two days to perform that distance. 

On the fourth day there was a considerable degree 
of ascent in their road, and they found the trees covered 
with moss or lichen. For some distance their pathway 
lay along the ridge of a narrow hill, on each side of 
which flowed a river. “ The river,” says Mr. Mar¬ 
shall, “ at some places fell over stupendous precipices, 
forming cascades of great magnitude. From the height 
of one of these cascades the whole mass of water which 
passed over the rock seemed to rise again in white 
vapour.” Above and beyond these impetuous rivers 
rose lofty ranges of peaked mountains, the whole pre¬ 
senting one of those magnificent pictures which have 
made men of good taste, who have travelled in Ceylon, 
declare that it is one of the most picturesque countries 
in the world. 

The peak has always been considered as a holy 
mount, a pilgrimage to which was highly meritorious 
and beneficial. The returning pilgrims, as an act of 
charity, always disposed of their walking staves on the 
face of the hill, so as to assist future travellers in their 


112 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


ascent. When Mr. Marshall and his friend came to a 
very steep part of the road, they found a succession of 
these walking-sticks stuck firmly in the earth, and bun¬ 
dles of rods laid horizontally behind them, by which 
means tolerable steps were formed. As, however, pil¬ 
grimages by the road by which they came had almost 
ceased since the dominion of the English, all these 
conveniences were rapidly going to decay. 

On the sixth day of their journey, when they were 
four hours going about six miles (all the distance they 
performed), their guides were frequently at a loss to 
distinguish the path they ought to follow, from the 
tracks of wild elephants through the jungle. On reach¬ 
ing the top of a very high hill they had a near view of 
the peak, which rose before them like an immense acu¬ 
minated, or sharp-pointed dome. Whenever the natives, 
in the course of the journey, caught a glimpse of the 
holy mount (the Mallua Sri JPade, or “ the hill of the 
sacred foot” in their language), they raised their clasped 
hands over their heads, and devoutly exclaimed “ Saa ! 
Saa!” Their zeal had increased the nearer they ap¬ 
proached, but at this point their holy fervour was 
extreme. 

The next morning, before they began the fatiguing 
ascent of the peak, they came to a small river, where 
the natives performed the ceremony of ablution pre¬ 
paratory to the delivery of their offerings at the shrine 
of the holy foot. Their offerings chiefly consisted of a 
few small copper coins, which the devotees wrapped in 
a piece of cloth ; the cloth was then wrapped in a hand¬ 
kerchief that encircled their head, it being indispensable 


PERILOUS ASCENT OF ADAM S PEAK IN CEYLON. 113 

that the offering should be carried on the head, the 
noblest portion of the human frame. 

From the river the pathway went up a narrow, 
rugged ravine,—in the wet season the bed of a torrent, 
and impassable. Thick jungle and lofty trees threw a 
wild gloom over this hollow, and intercepted the view. 
When they had made about two-thirds of the ascent 
they were informed that they were at the place where 
those who professed the religion of Buddhoo offered 
needles and thread to their divinity. The Buddhists 
in their train had thought little of this singular reli¬ 
gious duty, for there was only one needle, with a little 
thread, found among the whole party. This, however, 
they made do duty for the whole, one succeeding 
another in taking up the needle and thread, and then 
replacing it on a small rock to the right of the road. 

Their way was now more difficult than ever, as the 
superior portion of the peak consists of an immense 
cone of granitic rock, bearing no trees, and but very 
partially covered with vegetation. “ The track,” says 
Mr. Marshall, “ over several places of this cone is 
quite abrupt; and where the pathway leads over a bare 
declivious rock (tending to some fearful precipice) there 
are steps cut out in the stone, and iron chains so fixed 
as to lie along the steps, for the purpose of assisting 
passengers in ascending and descending.” 

Mr. Marshall and his companion reached the top of 
the cone abput two hours after they had begun to ascend 
at its base. They found that its narrow apex, which 
was only twenty-three paces long by eighteen broad, 
was surrounded by a wall, in which there were tw’O 
tracks by which alone the mountain can be ascended. 

10 * 


114 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


The el ation of this apex is 6800 feet above the level 
of the sea; the granitic peak or cone resting upon a 
very high mountain belonging to the chain which forms 
the rampart of the upper country. Nearly in the 
centre of the enclosed area they saw a large rock, 
one side of which is shelving, and can be easily 
ascended. On the top of this mass, which is of granite 
there stands a small square wooden shed, fastened to 
the rock, as also to the outer walls, by means of heavy 
chains. This security is necessary to prevent the 
edifice being hurled from its narrow base by the vio¬ 
lence of the winds. The roof and posts of this little 
building, which is used to cover the Sri Fade, or holy 
foot-mark, was adorned with flowers and artificial 
figures made of party coloured cloth. The impression 
in the rock they found to have been formed in part by 
the chisel and in part by elevating its outer border 
with hard mortar: all the elevations which mark the 
spaces between the toes of the foot have been made of 
lime and sand. The impression, which is five feet and 
a half long, two feet and a half broad, and from one 
and a half to two inches deep, is encircled by a border 
of gilded copper in which are set a few valueless gems. 
To use Mr. Marshall’s words, “ According to the books 
respecting Buddhoo, it appears that he stepped from 
the top of the peak to the kingdom of Siam. The 
Buddhists profess to believe that the impression is a 
mark made by the last foot of Buddhoo which left 
Ceylon.” We believe it was the Arabs, who traded 
here in very early ages, that first changed the hero of 
the tale, and gave the foot-mark to Adam, our first 
father. 


PERILOUS ASCENT OF ADAM’S PEAK IN CEYLON. 115 

On Mr. Marshall’s arriving he found between forty 
and fifty pilgrims, who had ascended in an opposite 
direction, already there. They performed their devotions 
without heeding the strangers, and then suddenly de¬ 
parted, and descended the mountain, without seeming 
to look to the right or to the left. 

On a shelf on the same rock on which the foot is 
traced, there is also a small temple dedicated to Vishnu, 
whom the pilgrims conciliate with offerings of small 
sums of money. All the ceremonies were finished in 
less than a quarter of an hour, when the party instantly 
proceeded to the opening in the wall, and left the area 
free to those whose next turn it was. 

Two Buddhist priests were on duty to take charge of 
the offerings of the devout, which are forwarded at the 
end of the season to the chief priest at Kandy. The 
average annual amount is about £ 250 sterling, an im¬ 
portant sum for that people. These priests only reside 
in this lofty solitude during the period when pilgrims 
visit it, or from January to April inclusive, being the 
dry season on the west side of the island. During the 
wet months the peak is commonly enveloped in clouds, 
and the ascent to it impracticable. They were attended 
by a boy, and occupied a little hut immediately without 
the encircling walls. They strenuously objected (as did 
also the natives who had accompanied Mr. Marshall 
and his friend) to the English travellers remaining there 
all night, saying that disease and other calamities would 
be the inevitable consequence of their so doing. Their 
motive for this objection rose out of their belief, that 
such a long stay of white men at the sacred spot would 
be displeasing to their divinities. 


116 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES, • 


Seeing, however, that the travellers, who had deter¬ 
mined to stay, would not be moved from their purpose, 
the senior priest gave them a number of plants, solemnly 
assuring them, that by wearing a part of one of them 
as an amulet, they would be protected from the attack 
of bears. In like manner parts of other plants were 
calculated to defend them from wild elephants; and 
others from devils, sickness, &c., &c. One herb that 
he offered, he said was a sure preservative against 
misfortunes, sickness, and every kind of evil. 

The travellers descended the cone by the opposite 
route leading to Saffragam, which they found to be still 
more abrupt than that -by which they had ascended 
coming from Kandy. In several places it led them 
across bare, slippery, precipitous rocks. There were 
no steps cut, as on the other side of the cone, but in 
the more difficult and dangerous places there w’ere 
strong iron chains fastened to the rock, to assist ascent 
and descent. At two or three turns the view down¬ 
ward was grand and awful in the extreme, the cone at 
these points seeming to overhang the lower mountain, 
by which means the eye plunged perpendicularly almost 
to the base of the peak. Meanwhile the sun shining 
brightly upon the space where the view terminated at 
the bottom of the mountain, increased thereby the 
sublimity of the prospect. “It is impossible,” says 
Mr. Marshall, in concluding his interesting sketch of 
this remarkable place, “to describe the terrific grandeui 
of the scene; but indeed the prospect is so frightful, 
that I believe it is rarely contemplated with due com 
posure.” 



AFRICAN CHIEF. 


ADVENTURES OF BURCKHARDT. 

OHN LEWIS BURCKHARDT 
was born at Lausanne, in Switz¬ 
erland, in the year 1784. He 
came to England in 1806, and, 
being provided with a letter 
of introduction to Sir Joseph 
Banks, who, it will be recollected,- 
was the means of introducing 






118 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


both Ledyard and Park to the African Association, he 
soon imbibed so much of this distinguished man’s 
ardour, that he offered his services to the association, 
and was accepted. 

He, accordingly, began diligently to study the Ara- 
Dic language; and, as it was thought he would be more 
likely to proceed undisturbed by the Moors, from whom 
we have seen that most of Park’s sufferings proceeded, 
if he travelled disguised as a native of the east, the 
association instructed him first to proceed to Syria, 
where he was to remain two years for the purpose of 
completing his Arabic studies, and to acquire oriental 
habits and manners sufficient to make him pass unsus¬ 
pected by the Moors. He was then to proceed to 
Cairo, to join one of the caravans which leave that 
town for Mourzuk, and thus to proceed into the inte¬ 
rior of Africa. 

Burckhardt sailed from England early in 1809, and 
arrived at Malta in safety. Here he equipped himself 
entirely in the style of an oriental, assuming the cha¬ 
racter of an Indian Mohammedan merchant, and sailed 
for Acre, whence he hoped to be able to reach Tripoli, 
in Syria, or Latakia. After being twice duped by the 
captains of the little trading vessels, with whom he 
engaged a passage, by their telling him, when he was 
fairly embarked, that they were not going to the place 
which they had represented, he reached the coast of 
Syria at Suedieh. Having bargained with the mule¬ 
teers for the transport of himself and baggage to 
Aleppo, he was beginning to load the mules, when he 
received a message from the aga or Turkish governor 
of the place, requesting to see him. Our traveller 


ADVENTURES OF BURCKHARDT. 


119 



THE AGA AND THE POTATO. 


found this dignitary smoking his pipe in a miserable 
room, and pulling off his slippers, he sat down before 
him. After having partaken of a cup of coffee, Burck- 
hardt asked his highness what he wanted. The aga 
answered by making a sign with his thumb and fore¬ 
finger, like a person counting money, at the same time 
inquiring particularly what was contained in the chests 
of which our traveller’s baggage was composed. Burck- 
hardt, who had among them several packages for the 
British consul at Aleppo, told him that he did not 
know, hut that he thought there was a sort of Frank 
or European drink, (beer,) and some eatables, which he 
had brought from Malta for the consul. Not to be 





















120 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


thus eluded, the aga sent one of his people to examine 
the contents. The messenger tasted the beer, and 
found it abominably bitter; and as a sample of the 
eatables, he carried a potato, which he took out of one 
of the barrels, to his master. The aga tasted the 
raw potato, and instantly spitting it out again, ex¬ 
claimed loudly against the Frank’s stomach, which 
could bear such food. After this sample he did not 
care to investigate farther, and exacting a fine of ten 
piastres, he allowed Burckhardt to proceed. 

When the caravan arrived at Antakia, the aga of 
that place, suspecting that Burckhardt was only a 
Frank in disguise, sent his dragoman to try and dis¬ 
cover if such was the case. After putting a great 
many questions, all of which Burckhardt answered so 
as not to betray his secret, the emissary, as a last 
resource, took hold of his beard, and pulling it, asked 
him familiarly why he let such a thing grow. To pull 
his beard is one of the greatest insults that can be 
offered to a Turk. Burckhardt at once saw his object, 
and gave the poor dragoman such a blow upon the face 
as soon convinced him that the insult was duly appre¬ 
ciated, and turned the laugh of the bystanders so com¬ 
pletely against him that he did not trouble our traveller 
any farther. 

From Aleppo, Burckhardt set out on a journey to 
Palmyra, under the guidance and protection of an Arab 
shiekh or chief; but during the absence of the latter, 
who had gone to one of the wells for a supply of water, 
the party was attacked by a hostile tribe of Arabs, and 
our traveller lost his watch and his compass. At Pal¬ 
myra he was again plundered, and his guide pretending 








PETRA. 























































































































































































































ADVENTURES OF BURCKHARDT. 123 

that it was unsafe to proceed farther in this direction, 
he now directed his steps to Damascus. 

At this city he was obliged to remain upwards of six 
weeks, in consequence of the disturbed state of the 
country. He contrived, however, to accomplish two 
journeys to places of celebrity—one to Baalbec and 
Mount Libanus, and the other into the Hauran, the 
patrimony of the patriarch Abraham. The latter jour¬ 
ney occupied him twenty-six days; but the fatigue to 
which he was exposed was amply repaid by the inter¬ 
esting scenes amidst which it was accomplished. At 
every step he discovered vestiges of ancient cities, the 
remains of ruined temples and other public edifices; 
and had opportunities of copying many inscriptions, 
which serve to throw light upon the history of this, at 
that time, almost unknown country. 

Burckhardt then proceeded to Aleppo, whence he 
penetrated into the desert towards the Euphrates. In 
this excursion he was robbed and stripped to the skin, 
bo that he had to return to Sukhne, a village almost 
five days’ journey from Aleppo, his body blistered by 
the rays of the sun, and without having accomplished 
any of the objects of his journey. 

With the true spirit of an enterprising traveller, 
Burckhardt, as soon as the rainy season was over, 
again set out towards the Dead Sea. On this journey 
he encountered many difficulties—was stripped of bis 
money by a treacherous Bedouin, to whose care he 
confided himself; and was at length obliged to wander 
from one Arab encampment to another, till he at last 
found a person who was willing to carry him to Egypt. 
As they proceeded up the valley of Ghor, Burckhardt 


12 4 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


was fortunate enough to discover the ruins of Petra, 
the capital of Arabia Petraea, a spot till then unknown 
to Europeans. His conductor, however, allowed him 
merely a glance at these majestic ruins, whose magnifi- . 
cence have since astonished more recent beholders. 
Shortly after leaving this place they fell in with a 
small caravan of Arabs, who were proceeding to Cairo 
with a few camels for sale. To this party Burckhardt 
joined himself, and travelled the remainder of the way 
in their company. 

As no immediate opportunity offered for entering on 
the great object of his mission, Burckhardt next turned 
his attention to Nubia. He purchased a couple of drome¬ 
daries, and furnishing himself with a firman from the 
bashaw, and several private letters to the Nubian 
chiefs, he set out, accompanied by his guide, on the 
14th of February, 1813. 

He travelled along the eastern bank of the Nile, and 
proceeded, not only without molestation, but, on the 
contrary, was generally received in a hospitable man¬ 
ner at the Nubian villages. 

Burckhardt continued his course without any remark¬ 
able adventure till he arrived at the Manass territory, 
where he found two of the principal Mameluke chiefs, 
with a|}>and of retainers, amounting to about a hundred 
and twenty men, engaged in celebrating the capture 
of the castle of Tinareh, which had surrendered on the 
day preceding our traveller’s arrival. 

Suspecting that Burckhardt was a spy in the pay of 
Mohammed Ali, the bashaw of Egypt, the chief threat¬ 
ened to send his head as a present to Ibrahim Beg, the 
chief of the Mamelukes; and a long consultation was 


ADVENTURES OF BURCKHARDT. 125 

held with his confidants to decide what was to he done 
with him. Fortunately, before they decided on such 
an unpleasant experiment as the language of the chief 
seemed to threaten, the arrival of two of their friends, 
who had seen Burckhardt in another part of the coun¬ 
try convinced them of their error. They were still 
anxious, however, to extort something from him in the 
way of presents or otherwise; and when he went to 
take his leave of Mohammed Kashef, he persisted so 
much in desiring him to defer his departure, that our 
traveller at last found it necessary to tell him that he 
was not permitted to act as he pleased, he considered 
himself a prisoner, and that he must take the conse¬ 
quence of his detention. “ Go then, you rascal!” at 
last exclaimed this refined chieftain, in his usual brutal 
language. Burckhardt did not require to be twice 
told. In five minutes he had mounted his camel and 
was out of sight of the camp, where he had spent 
one of the most uncomfortable days which had yet 
occurred to him during the course of his travels. 

They had now arrived at Derr, and here his trusty 
guide, who had accompanied him on this journey, left 
him. At parting Burckhardt presented him with a 
woolen mellaye, a sort of shawl which is worn about 
the neck and shoulders by the Egyptians, and a small 
sum of money, with which he was infinitely delighted. 

Having provided himself with a new guide, our travel 
ler continued his journey, visiting such remains of anti¬ 
quity as lay in his route: copying the inscriptions in the 
ruined temples, and gathering much new and interest¬ 
ing information regarding the details of these buildings, 
and the history and manners of the ancient inhabitants. 

11 * 


126 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES 


On the 9th of April he reached Esne, where he re 
mained nearly twelve months, waiting for the opportu¬ 
nity of joining a caravan travelling towards the interior 
of Nubia in a more easterly direction. 

Two days after their departure, the caravan was 
attacked by a party of wandering Bedouins, who 
claimed tribute for allowing it to pass. After much 
clamour and some hard fighting, in which, however, no 
blood was shed, the chiefs interfered on both sides, and 
put an end to the dispute, and the caravan was at 
length allowed to pass without paying tribute. 

The weather was now excessively hot; and, as they 
advanced into the desert, their sufferings from want of 
water became daily more severe. At length, on their 
arrival at the wells of Nedje^tn, finding them empty, 
and being thus unable to replenish their stock, the 
whole party were in the greatest dejection, foreseeing 
that all the asses must very soon die, if not speedily 
supplied with this necessary article, and none of the 
traders had more than a few draughts for his own per¬ 
sonal use. After a long deliberation, they at length 
came to the only determination that could save them, 
namely; to send ten or twelve of the strongest camels 
to bring a supply from the nearest point of the Nile. 

They were not more than a journey of five or six 
hours distant from the Nile, but its banks being in¬ 
habited by a hostile tribe of Arabs, it was impossible 
for the whole caravan to proceed thither. It was 
therefore arranged that a party should set out in the 
afternoon, so as to arrive on the banks of the river 
during the night, and having filled the water skins, to 
return as speedily and stealthily as possible. 


ADVENTURES OF BURCKHARDT. 


127 


Those who remained in the meanwhile passed the 
evening in the greatest anxiety; for, if the camels 
should not return, they had little hope of escape from 
either death by thirst, or by the sword of their enemies, 
who, if they had once caught a glance of the camels, 
would have traced their footsteps in the sand, and thus 
discovered and plundered the caravan. At length, 
about three o’clock in the morning, the distant halloo- 
ings of their watermen broke upon their ears ; and they 
soon refreshed themselves with copious draughts of the 
delicious water of the Nile. 

On the 23d of March, the caravan arrived at Ank- 
heyre, the principal town in the district of Berber, 
whence, after resting fourteen days, they again set out. 
Burckhardt was not at all sorry to leave this place, for 
the character of its inhabitants was so bad that a 
stranger can never consider himself safe among them 
for a moment. 

Matters were not much mended on their arrival at 
Bas-el-wady, where the mek, or governor, forced them 
to pay very heavy fines, under the name of transit 
duties. Fortunately his contributions did not fall very 
severely on our traveller, who, foreseeing the probabil¬ 
ity of some such danger, had disposed of his ass, which 
was the best animal in the caravan, to one of his fellow 
traders, taking in exchange a less powerful beast, and 
a small sum of money. The spirited animal soon 
caught the attention of the mek, and he insisted on its 
being presented to him, much to the dissatisfaction of 
its new owner, who had only gained possession of it on 
the preceding day. 

At Darner, the caravan halted five days. This place 


128 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



BURCKHARDT BELLING BEADS. 


is chiefly inhabited by Fokara, or religious men. The 
governor, or chief is called Faky el Kebir, or the Great 
Faky. The family in which this dignity is hereditary, 
have the reputation of being endowed with such super- 
atural powers that nothing can withstand their spells. 
So powerful are these that the father of the present 
faky is said on one occasion to have caused a lamb to 
bleat in the stomach of the thief who had stolen it, and 
afterwards eaten it. 

As there is no daily market at Damer, nor any shops 





































ADVENTURES OF BURCKHARDT. 


129 


where articles can be bought except on the weekly 
market-day, Burckhardt was under the necessity of 
imitating his companions, and going from house to 
house with some strings of beads in his hands, offering 
them for sale at about four handsful of corn for each 
bead. “ I gained at this rate,” says he, “ about sixty 
per cent, on the prime cost; and at the same time had 
an opportunity of entering many private houses, and 
studying the manners and habits of the people.” 

So strong is the belief of the credulous natives in the 
powers of the fakies, that the mere sight of them walk¬ 
ing unarmed at the head of a caravan is sufficient to 
protect it. The services of several were therefore 
secured, and the party again set out, and reached 
Hawaya in safety. This village forms the northern 
frontier of-the territory of Shendy. As he understood 
it to be a safe place, Burckhardt took some beads to 
exchange for bread, in the village. After a long and 
fruitless search, he was met by two men, who invited 
him to go home with them, telling him that their wives 
would take the beads. Burckhardt accordingly fol¬ 
lowed them, until they reached a narrow, unfrequented 
lane, when they turned short upon him, snatched away 
the beads, tore off his cap, and then, finding that, 
unarmed as he was, he still made some resistance, they 
drew their swords. Burckhardt then considered that 
it was time to take to his heels, and rejoined his com 
panions, who laughed at his misfortunes. He after¬ 
wards applied for redress to the sheikh of the village, 
who recovered the cap and beads for him, but insisted 
on being paid, as a compliment, twice the value of the 
stolen goods. 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


iso 

On their arrival at Shendy, Burckhardt abandoned 
all idea of proceeding farther south, and resolved to 
take the route for the Red Sea. He disposed of all 
his little adventure of merchandise, and purchased a 
slave boy, partly for the sake of having a constant and 
useful companion, and partly to afford him an ostensi¬ 
ble reason for going in the direction of the Red Sea, 
where he might expect to sell him at a profit. He also 
purchased a camel, and having laid in a supply of 
provisions for the journey, he set out on the 17th of 
Mav. 

In this journey the caravan was exposed to a violent 
hurricane ; “ the most tremendous,” says Burckhardt, 
“ that I ever remember to have witnessed. A dark 
blue cloud first appeared; as it approached nearer, and 
increased in height, it assumed an ash-gray colour, 
with a tinge of yellow, striking every person in the 
caravan who had not been accustomed to such phe¬ 
nomena with amazement at its magnificent and terrific 
appearance: as the clouds approached still nearer, the 
yellow tinge became more general, while the horizon 
presented the brightest azure. At last it burst upon 
us in its rapid course, and involved us in darkness and 
confusion; nothing could be distinguished at the dis¬ 
tance of five or six feet, our eyes were filled with dust, 
our temporary sheds blown down at the first gust, and 
many more firmly fixed tents followed. The largest 
withstood for a time the effects of the blast, but were 
at last obliged to yield, and the whole camp was levelled 
with the ground. In the meantime, the terrified camels 
arose, broke the cords by which they were fastened, 
and endeavoured to escape from the destruction which 


ADVENTURES OF BURCKHARDT. 


131 


appeared to threaten them, thus adding not a little to 
our embarrassment. After blowing about half an hour 
with increased violence, the wind suddenly abated; 
and, when the atmosphere became clear, the tremendous 
cloud was seen continuing its havoc to the north-w T est. 

At length, on the 26th of June, they arrived at 
Souakin, after journeying through a wild, picturesque 
country, and pitched their tents at a short distance 
from the town. On the following day they were visited 
by the emir, who came in person to levy the customary 
contributions. Understanding that Burckhardt’s camel 
was famed in the caravan for its strength and agility, 
he wished to secure it, telling him that all camels 
brought from Soudan by foreign traders were his. 
Burckhardt refused to comply with this unjust demand, 
and insisted on the matter being referred to the Turk¬ 
ish custom-house officer. He was accordingly carried 
before the aga, who, having been instructed by the 
emir, addressed Burckhardt in a very haughty and 
repulsive manner. Burckhardt at first refused to 
answer; but at length told him that he had come to 
hear from his own mouth whether the emir was entitled 
to his camel. “Not only thy camel,” he replied, “ but 
the whole of thy baggage must be taken and searched;’ 
and, affecting to treat him as a Mameluke spy, or 
refugee, he continued; “you shall not impose upon us, 
you rascal; you may be'thankful if we do not cut off 
your head!” Burckhardt, seeing there was no other 
w r ay of escape, now drew from his pocket the two 
firmans or letters with which he had provided himself 
before setting out, one of which "was sealed with the 
great seal of Mohammed Ali. The change from haughty 


132 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



MOHAMMED ALI. 


insolence to base servility was instantaneous. The aga 
kissed the papers, pressed them to his forehead., and 
apologized for his conduct in the most submissive terms. 
Nothing more was said about the emir’s right to the 
camel, and Burckhardt’s slave even was allowed to 
pass duty free. Afraid of the reports which our 
traveller might make to the bashaw respecting his 
government in Souakin, the aga tried every means in 
his power to ingratiate himself with him. He invited 
him to his table daily, and offered him a present of a 
slave, and one of his own dresses, both of which marks 







ADVENTURES OF BURCKIIARDT. 


133 


of kindness, however, Burckhardt thought proper to 
decline. 

From Souakin our traveller sailed for Djidda, on the 
opposite shore of the Red Sea, on the 6th of July, and 
after suffering much inconvenience from the crowded 
state of the vessel, and the inadequate supply of 
water, as well as the unskilful navigation of the Ara¬ 
bian sailors, they arrived at Djidda on the 18th of July. 
More than three-fourths of the time had been consumed 
in sailing lazily along the coast, disembarking every 
evening, and passing the night on shore. 

Having obtained permission from the bashaw, he 
accordingly set out for Mecca, and witnessed and took 
part in the singular and absurd ceremonial, at the per¬ 
formance of which were gathered an immense crowd of 
people from every corner of the Mohammedan world— 
the principal men accompanied by long retinues of 
attendants, their equipments vieing with each other in 
splendour and magnificence. He also performed a 
pilgrimage to the tomb of the Prophet, at Medina. 

From Medina he travelled to Yembo, where, on his 
arrival, he found the plague^ raging with the greatest 
violence. After remaining here three weeks, he found 
his way to Tor, where he recovered his health. He 
arrived at Cairo on the 24th of June, after an absence 
of nearly two years and a half. 

From Cairo he afterwards made one or two unim¬ 
portant excursions, in one of which he reached Mount 
Sinai, and traced the course of the Red Sea as far as 
Akaba. 

At Cairo Burckhardt remained for some time, ar¬ 
ranging the journals of his Arabian and Nubian travels, 
12 


134 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


and waiting the opportunity of joining a Moggrebin 
caravan, to penetrate into Africa. While thus en 
gaged, he was attacked by a disease which carried him 
off after an illness of eleven days, notwithstanding 
the best medical attendance which the place could 
afford. 



ARAB ENCAMPMENT. 



ALBANIANS. 


A TRAVELLER’S ENCOUNTER WITH 
ALBANESE BRIGANDS. 



convey ourselves and 


BOUT 1832, the brigands were 
numerous in Greece, and attacks 
upon travellers and villages were 
frequent. An English traveller, 
who experienced their hostility, 
has left us the following account 
of their attack upon a village. 

Our first care on landing had 
been to negociate for horses to 
our baggage to Nauplia. We 









136 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


were quietly eating our breakfast, in expectation of 
their arrival, when a messenger came in breathless haste 
to announce that a party of irregular soldiers, or 
Albanese, as they are generally called, was coming 
down to pillage the place. We immediately re-shipped 
all our baggage, and, having prepared our arms, 
awaited the arrival of these formidable brigands. In 
the meantime the news had spread the utmost terror 
and confusion through all the inhabitants of Epidaurus. 
The women and children crowded around us, weeping, 
crying, wringing their hands, and imploring us to take 
them on board our caique, which was the only vessel 
in the harbour. To comply with their demand was, of 
course, impossible, for our boat was a very small one, 
and we might be obliged to have recourse to it for our 
own safety. We told them, however, that if they 
wished’to put any of their valuables on board, we would 
take them under our protection. Accordingly, the men 
brought their arms, pistols, muskets, and yataghans, 
and in such quantities, that we could not help asking 
why they did not retain them, and use them for their 
own defence, instead of submitting to be pillaged and 
abused by a party of ruffians, who probably were not 
equal to themselves in numerical amount? “ We dare 
not resist,” they replied, “ we might drive them away 
to-day, but they would return to-morrow with greater 
force, and our fate would be worse than ever.” We 
said all we could to rouse them to a vigourous resistance, 
but our persuasions were unavailing; their spirits 
seemed completely broken by a long course of suffering 
and oppression; they had been scourged and trodden 
into passive abjectness. The Albanese soon appeared. 


ENCOUNTER WITH BRIGANDS, 137 

They were, as I conjectured, a stragling party, with¬ 
out pay, and without leader, and subsisting entirely on 
pillage. The whole of Greece is overrun with similar 
bands. A more squalid, ferocious, ruffianly-looking set 
of men I never beheld. They were filthy in the extreme; 
their dress was torn and ragged, and their countenances 
denoted long endured famine and hardships. They all 
carried two enormous pistols and a yataghan in their 
belts, and a long gun over their shoulders. They saw 
at once that they had no resistance to encounter, so 
set about their errand vigourously, seizing every thing in 
the way of food or ammunition they could lay their 
hands on. The people, subdued to the cowardice of 
silent indignation, stood quietly by, watching the sei¬ 
zure of their stores, without venturing even a remon¬ 
strance. I was equally disgusted with the dastardly 
endurance of the one party, and the brutal oppression 
of the other. The brigands, after rifling every house, 
except the one in which we had established ourselves, 
began to feast upon their spoils. They were soon in¬ 
toxicated, and their brutality then became unbridled. 
Their conduct was that of utter barbarians. They 
insulted all the women who had been foolish enough to 
remain in the village, and the men did not dare to 
interfere. I could bear the scene no longer, and 
strolled away towards one of the remotest houses, when 
a loud scream arrested my attention, and a young 
woman, with a babe in her arms, rushed out of the door, 
pursued by one of the Albanese. My indignation had 
before wanted but little to make it overflow; so, look¬ 
ing this way and that way, like Moses when he slew 
the Egyptian, I rushed after the inebriated ruffian, 


138 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 

and brought him to the ground bj a blow with the butt 
end of my carbine. He fell with great violence, and 
lay for some minutes insensible. I took his pistols and 
yataghan, and threw them into a marsh close by, and 
then went up to the poor woman, who was terrified to - 
death, and led her to a thicket of thorn trees, where 
she was not likely to be discovered. Here we remained 
till nightfall, when we ventured from our hiding-places, 
and found that the Albanese had retired, and were 
probably gone to repeat the same scene at some othei 
village. 











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T3RA CRUZ AND SAN JUAN DE ULLOA. 




















































































































































































































































































































































































































































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MEXICAN MARKET-WOMAN. 


ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 

EXICO was appropriately called “New 
Spain” by its adventurous conquer¬ 
ors. The title was prophetic of its 
character. The country has many 
features in common with old Spain— 
beauties and barrens being thickly 
and alternately spread throughout its 
extent. The Spanish language is in common use, and 
the generality of the people have the vices and virtues 
of the Spanish character—being haughty, pleasure- 
loving, superstitious, and treacherous. 

A recent traveller in Mexico—Mr. George Frederic 












142 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


Raxton — lias published some very interesting and 
instructive sketches of his journey and adventures, 
written in that simple and direct style which one loves 
to find in such a work. He observed acutely, and 
caught the spirit of the people and institutions of the 
country. Landing at the city of Vera Cruz, Mr. Rux- 
ton was struck with its singular situation and features. 
He says:— 

From the sea the coast on each side of the town 
presents a dismal view of sand hills, which appear 
almost to swallow up the walls. The town, however, 
sparkling in the sun, with its white houses and numer¬ 
ous church-spires, has rather a picturesque appearance ; 
but every object, whether on sea or land, glows unna¬ 
turally in the lurid atmosphere. It is painful to look 
into the sea, where shoals of bright-coloured fish are 
swimming; and equally painful to turn the eyes to the 
shore, where the sun, refracted by the sand, actually 
scorches the sight, as well as pains it by the quivering 
glare which ever attends refracted light. 

The city is well planned, surrounded by an adobe wall, 
with wide streets crossing each other at right angles. 
There are also several large and handsome buildings 
fast mouldering to decay. One hundred years ago a 
flourishing commercial city, like every thing in Spanish 
America, it has suffered from the baneful effects of a 
corrupt, impotent government.. Now, with a scanty 
population, and under the control of a military despot¬ 
ism, its wealth and influence have passed away. The 
aspect of the interior of the town is dreary and deso¬ 
late beyond description. Grass grows in the streets 
and squares; the churches and public buildings are 


ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 


143 


falling to ruins; scarcely a human being is to be met, 
and the few seen are sallow and lank, and skulk 
through the streets as if fearing to encounter, at every 
corner, the personification of the dread vomito, which 
at this season (August) is carrying off a tithe of the 
population. Every where stalks the “ sopilote” (turkey- 
buzzard,) sole tenant of the streets, feeding on the 
garbage and carrion which abound in every corner. 

Before delivering my letters I went to a fonda, or inn, 
kept by a Frenchman, but in Mexico-Spanish style. 
Here I first made acquaintance with th efrijole, a small 
black bean, which is the main food of the lower classes 
over the whole of Mexico, and is a standing dish on 
every table both of the rich and poor. The cuisine, 
being Spanish, was the best in the world, the wine 
good, and abundance of ice from Orizaba. Among the 
company at the fonda was a party of Spanish padres, 
a capellan of a Mexican regiment, and a Capuchin 
friar. I was invited one evening to their room, and 
was rather surprised when I found I was in for a regu¬ 
lar punch-drinking bout. The Capuchino presided at 
the bowl, which he concocted with considerable skill; 
and the jolly priests kept it up until the gray of the 
morning, when they all sallied out to mass, it being the 
east of San Isidro. 

The next day I accompanied this clerical party to 
he castle of San Juan de Ulloa, which we were allowed 
o inspect in every part. I thought it showed very 
ittle caution, for I might have been an American for 
all they knew to the contrary. The fortress is con¬ 
structed with considerable skill, but is in very bad 
repair. It is said to mount three hundred and fifty 


44 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


pieces of artillery, many of heavy caliber, but is defi¬ 
cient in mortars. The garrison did not amount to more 
than seven hundred men, although they were in hourly 
expectation of an attack by the American squadron; 
and such a miserable set of naked objects as they were, 
could scarcely be got together in any other part of the 
world. Our party was ciceroned by an aid-de-camp 
of the governor, who took us into every hole and cornel 
of the w’orks. The soldiers’ barracks were dens unfit 
for hogs, without air or ventilation, and crowded to 
suffocation. 

In one of the batteries were some fine ninety-eight- 
pounders, all English manufacture, but badly mounted, 
and some beautiful Spanish brass guns. Not the 
slightest discipline was apparent in the garrison, and 
scarcely a sentinel was -on the look-out, although the 
American squadron was in sight of the castle, and an 
attack was hourly threatened. On the side facing the 
island of Sacrificios the defences were very weak; 
indeed, I saw no obstruction of sufficient magnitude to 
prevent half a dozen boat’s crews making a dash in 
the dark at the water-batteries, where at this time were 
neither guns nor men, nor one sentry whose post would 
command this exposed spot; thence to cross the ditch 
which had but two or three feet of water in it, blow 
open the gate of the fortress with a bag of powder, and 
no organized resistance could be dreaded when once in 
the castle. I pointed this out to one of the officers of 
the garrison. He answered, “No hay cuidado! no hay 
cuidado! somos muy valientes,” “Never fear, never 
fear! we are very brave here.” “ Si quieren, los 



BOMBARDMENT OF YERA CRUZ. 









































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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ADVENTURES IN MEXICO, 


147 



NATIONAL BRIDGE. 


Americanos, que vengan”—“ If the Americans like to 
try, let them come.” 

As we returned at night to Vera Cruz, a dull, yellow¬ 
ish haze hung over the town. I asked the “ patron” 
of the boat what it was. Taking his cigar from hjs 
mouth, he answered quite seriously, “ Senor, es el 
vomito—it’s the fever.” 

In spite of the “ weak” condition of the city of Yera 
Cruz and its castle at the time of Mr. Ruxton’s visit, 
they made a good defence when besieged by the United 
States forces, under Gen. Winfield Scott. The city sus¬ 
tained a bombardment of several days before it yielded. 

Mr. Ruxton now took the road towards the capital. 




148 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


After crossing the beautiful National Bridge, he reached 
the Plan del Bio, where he was forced to put up at one 
of those miserable inns, so common in Mexico, of which 
he gives the following humourous account: 

“ At sunset we reached El Plan del Rio, a miserable 
venta, which we found crowded with cavalry soldiers 
and their horses, so that we had great trouble in find¬ 
ing room for our own animals. This hostelry belonged 
to the genus meson, a variety of the inn species to he 
found only in Mexico. It was, however, a paradise 
compared to the mesones north of the city of Mexico; 
and I remember that I often looked back upon this one, 
which Castillo and I voted the most absolutely miser 
able of inns, as a sort of Clarendon or Mivarts. Bound 
the corral, or yard, where were mangers for horses and 
mules, were several filthily dirty rooms, without win 
dows or furniture. These were the guests’ chambers. 
Mine host and his family had separate accommodations 
for themselves, of course ; and into this part of the man 
sion Castillo managed to introduce himself and me, and 
to procure some supper. The chambermaid —who, 
unlocking the door of the room apportioned to us, told 
us to beware of the mala gente (the bad people) who 
were about—was a dried-up old man, with a long, 
grizzled beard and matted hair, which fell, guiltless of 
comb or brush, on his shoulders. He was perfectly 
horrified at our uncomplimentary remarks concerning 
the cleanliness of the apartment, about the floor of 
which troops of fleas were carracoling, while flat, odor¬ 
iferous bugs were sticking in patches to the walls. My 
request for some water for the purpose of washing 
almost knocked him down with the heinousness of the 



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ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 


151 


demand; but when he had brought a little earthen-ware 
saucer, holding about a table-spoonful, and I asked for 
a towel, he stared at me, open mouthed, without an¬ 
swering, and then burst out into an immoderate fit of 
laughter. “Ay que hombre, Ave Maria Purissima, 
que loco es este!”—Oh, what a man, what a madman 
is this! “ Servilletta, panuela, toalla, que demonio 

quiere ?”—towel, napkin, handkerchief—what the devil 
does he want ?—repeating the different terms I used to 
explain that I wanted a towel. “ Ha, ha ha ! es medio 
tonto, es medio tonto”—a half-witted fellow, I see. 
“ Que demonio! quire agua, quire toalla!” what the 
d—1! he wants water, towels, every thing. “ Adios !” 

Attaining the tierra templada , or temperate region, 
our traveller next approached Jalapa: 

“ Jalapa, the population of which is nearly seventeen 
thousand, is situated at the foot of Macultepec, at an 
elevation of four thousand three hundred and thirty- 
five feet above the level of the sea. Unfortunately, 
this elevation is about that which the strata of clouds 
reach, when, suspended over the ocean, the'y come in 
contact with the ridge of the Cordillera, and this ren¬ 
ders the atmosphere exceedingly humid and disagree¬ 
able, particularly in northeasterly winds. In summer, 
however, the mists disappear, the sun shines brightly, 
and the sky is clear and serene. At this time the 
climate is perfectly heavenly; the extremes of heat and 
cold are never experienced, and an even genial temper¬ 
ature prevails, highly conducive to health and comfort. 
Fever is here unknown; the dreaded vomito never 
makes its appearance on the table-land; and, in spite 
of the humid climate, sickness is comparatively ran 


152 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


and seldom fatal. The average temperature is 60 to 
65° in summer. 

On a bright, sunny day the scenery round Jalapa is 
not to he surpassed; mountains bound the horizon, 
except on one side, where a distant view of the sea adds 
to the beauty of the scene. Orizaba, with its snow¬ 
capped peak, appears so close that one imagines it is 
within reach; and rich and evergreen forests clothe the 
surrounding hills. In the foreground are beautiful 
gardens, with fruits of every clime—the banana and 
fig, the orange, cherry, and apple. The town is irregu¬ 
larly built, but picturesque; the houses are in the style 
of Old Spain, wdth windows to the ground, and barred, 
in which sit the Jalapenas, with their beautifully fair 
complexions and eyes of fire. 

Near Jalapa are two or three cotton-factories, which 
I believe pay well. They are under the management 
of English and Americans. The girls employed in the 
works are all Indians or Mestizas, healthy and good- 
looking. They are. very apt in learning their work, 
and soon comprehend the various uses of the machi¬ 
nery. In the town there is but little to see. The 
church is said to have been founded by Cortez, and 
there is also a Franciscan convent. However, a stranger 
is amply interested in walking about the streets and 
market, where he will see much that is strange and 
ew. The vicinity of Jalapa, although poorly cultivated, 
produces maize, wheat, grapes, jalap (from which plant 
it takes its name,) and a little lower down the cordillera 
grow the vanilla, the bean which is so highly esteemed 
for its aromatic flavour, and the fruits of the tempe ate 
and torrid zones. 




































































































































































































































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V 







ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 155 

On inquiry as to the modes of travelling from 
Jalapa to the city of Mexico, I found that the journey 
in the diligencia to the capital was to be preferred to 
any this season, on account of the rains; although by 
theformer there was almost a certainty of being robbed 
or attacked. So much a matter of course is this disa¬ 
greeable proceeding, that the Mexicans invariably cal¬ 
culate a certain sum for the expenses of the road, 
including the usual fee for los cdballeros del camino. 
All baggage is sent by the arrieros or muleteers, by 
which means it is insured from all danger, although a 
long time on the road. The usual charge - is twelve 
dollars a carga , or mule-load of two hundred pounds, 
from Vera Cruz to the capital, being from ten to 
twenty days on the road. The Mexicans never dream 
of resisting the robbers, and a coach load of nine is 
)ften stopped and plundered by one man. The ladrones? 
however, often catch a Tartar if a party of foreigners 
should happen to be in the coach; and but the other 
day, two Englishmen, one an officer of the Guards, the 
other a resident in Zacatecas, being in a coach which 
was stopped by nine robbers, near Puebla, on being 
ordered to alight and bocabaxo —throw themselves on 
their noses—replied to the request by shooting a couple 
of them, and, quietly resuming their seats, proceeded 
on their journey. 

During my stay two English naval officers arrived 
in the diligencia from Mexico. As they stepped out, 
bristling with arms, the Mexican by-standers ejaculated, 
“Valgame Dios!” What men these English are! 
“Esos son hombres!”—These are men! The last 
week the coach was robbed three times, and a poor 


156 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


Gachupin, mistaken for an Englishman, was nearly 
killed, the robbers having vowed vengeance against the 
pale-faces for the slaughter of their two comrades at 
Puebla; and a few months before, two robbers crawled 
upon the coach during the night, and putting a pistol 
through the leathern panels, shot an unfortunate pas¬ 
senger in the head, who, they had been informed, 
carried arms and was determined to resist. There is 
not a travelling Mexican, who cannot narrate to you 
his experiences on “ the roadand scarcely a foreigner 
in the country, more particularly English and Ame¬ 
ricans, who has not come to blows with the ladrones at 
some period or other of his life. 

Such being the satisfactory state of affairs, before 
starting on this dangerous expedition, and particularly 
as I carried all my baggage with me (being too old a 
soldier ever to part with that,) assisted by mine host, 
I had a minute inspection of arms and ammunition, all 
of which was put in perfect order. One fine morning, 
therefore, I took my seat in the diligencia, with a for¬ 
midable battery of a double-barrel rifle, a ditto carbine, 
two brace of pistols, and a blunderbuss. Blank were 
the faces of my four fellow-passengers when I entered 
thus equipped. They protested, they besought—every 
one’s life would be sacrificed, were one of the party to 
resist. “ Senores,” I said, “ here are arms for you all; 
better for you to fight than be killed like a rat.” No, 
they washed their hands of it, would have nothing to 
do with gun or pistol. “ Yaya: no es el costumbre” 
—it is not the custom, they said. 

From Jalapa the road constantly ascends, and we 
are now leaving the tierra templada , the region of oaks 


ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 


157 



MEXICAN HUT. 


and liquid amber, for the still more elevated regions of 
the tierra fria, called cold, however, merely by com¬ 
parison, for the temperature is equal to that of Italy, 
and the lowest range of the thermometer is 62°. The 
whole table-land of Mexico belongs to this division. 
The scenery here becomes mountainous and grand ; 
and on the right of the road is a magnificent cascade, 
which tumbles from the side of the mountain to the 
depth of several hundred feet. The villages are few, 
and fifteen or twenty miles apart, and the population 
scanty and miserable. No signs of cultivation appear, 
but little patches of maize and chile, in the midst of 
which is an Indian hut of reeds and flags. In the eve¬ 
ning we passed through a fine plain in which stands 
the town and castle of Perote. 

At eleven next day we stopped to breakfast, and 
were joined by a stout wench of La Puebla, with a nut- 
brown face, and teeth as white as snow. She informed 
us that there were muy mala gente on the road—very 
bad people—who had robbed the party with which she 
was travelling but the day before; and, being muy sin 
verguenza —shameless rascals—had behaved very rudely 
to the ladies of the party. Our buxom companion was 
dressed in Poblana style. Her long black hair was 




158 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


combed over her ears, from which descended huge 
silver earrings; the red enagua , or short petticoat, 
fringed with yellow, and fastened round her waist with 
a silk hand; from her shoulders to the waist a chemi¬ 
sette was her only covering, if we except the gray 
reboso drawn over her head and neck; and on her small 
naked foot was a tiny shoe with silver buckle. 

However, we reached Puebla safe and sound, and 
drove into the yard of the Fonda de las Diligencias, 
where the coach and its contents were minutely in 
spected by a robber-spy, who, after he had counted the 
passengers and their arms, immediately mounted his 
horse and gallopped away. This is done every day, 
and in the teeth of the authorities, who wink at the 
cool proceeding. 

The same manners, customs, and general institutions 
noted by travellers in old Spain are to be found in 
Mexico, slightly modified by the republican form of 
government.' 

Puebla, the capital of the intendancy of that name, 
is one of the finest cities in Mexico. Its streets are 
wide and regular, and the houses and public buildings 
are substantially built, and in good taste. The popu¬ 
lation, which is estimated at between eighty and one 
hundred thousand, is the most vicious and demoralized 
in the republic. It was founded by the Spaniards, in 
1581, on the site of a small village of Cholula Indians, 
and, from its position and the fertility of the surround¬ 
ing country, was unsurpassed by any other city in the 
Spanish Mexican dominions. The province is rich in 
the remains of Mexican antiquities. The fortifications 
of Tlaxcalla and the pyramids of Cholula are worthy 


•< 

i* v 




PUEBLA. 






























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 


161 


of a visit, and the noble cypress of Atlixo is seventy- 
six feet in circumference, and, according to Humboldt, 
the “ oldest vegeta le monument” in the world. 

We left Puebla early in the morning, and as day 
broke, a scene of surpassing beauty burst upon us. 
The sun, rising behind the mountain, covered the sky 
with a cold, silvery light, against which the peaks stood 
in bold relief, while the bases were still veiled in gloom. 

Passing through a beautiful country, we reached Rio- 
Frio, a small plain in the midst of the mountains, and 
muy mal punto for the robbers, as the road winds 
through a pine-forest, into which they can escape in 
case of repulse. The road is lined with crosses, which 
here are veritable monuments of murders perpetrated 
on travellers. Here, too, we took an escort, and, when 
we had passed the pinol, the corporal rode up to the 
windows, saying, “ Ya sesretira la escolta,”—the escort 
is about to retire; in other words, Please remember the 
guard. Each passenger presented him with the custom¬ 
ary dos reales, and the gallant escort rode off quite 
contented. Here, too, all the worst puntos being 
passed, my companions drew long breaths, muttered^ 
“ Ave Maria Purissima—gracias a Dios ya no hay cui- 
dado,” and lighted their cigars. We soon after crested 
the ridge of the mountain, and, descending a winding 
road, turned an abrupt hill, and, just as I was settling 
myself in the corner for a good sleep, my arm was 
seized convulsively by my opposite neighbour, who, with 
half his body out of the window, vociferated : “ Hi esta, 
hi esta, mire, por Dios, mire!”—Look odt for God’s 
sake ! there it is. Thinking a ladron was in sight, I 
seized my gun; but my friend, seeing my mistake, 
14* 


162 


PERILOUS AI>VENTURES. 


drew in his head, saying, “ No, no, Mejico, Mejico, la 
ciudad !” 

To stop the coach and jump on the box was the work 
of a moment; and, looking down from the same spot 
where probably Cortez stood three hundred years ago, 
before me lay the city and valley of Mexico, bathed by 
the soft flooding light of the setting sun. 

He must be insensible, indeed a clod of clay, who 
does not feel the blood thrill in his veins at the first 
sight of this beautiful scene. What must have been the 
feelings of Cortez, when, with his handful of followers, 
he looked down upon the smiling prospect at his feet, 
the land of promise which was to repay them for all 
the toil and dangers they had encountered! 

The first impression which struck me on seeing the 
valley of Mexico was the perfect, almost unnatural, 
tranquillity of the scene. . The valley, which is about 
sixty miles long by forty in breadth, is on all sides 
inclosed by mountains, the most elevated of which are 
on the southern side; in the distance are the volcanoes 
of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, and numerous peaks 
of different elevation. The lakes of Tezcuco and Chaleo 
glitter in the sun like burnished silver, or, shaded by 
the vapours which often rise from them, lie cold and 
tranquil on the plain. The distant view of the city, 
with its white buildings and numerous churches, its 
egular streets and shaded paseos, greatly augments 
the beauty of the scene, over which floats a solemn, 
delightful tranquillity. 

On entering the town, one is struck with the regu¬ 
larity of the streets, the chaste architecture of the 
buildings, the miserable appearance of the population. 


ADVENTURES IN MEXICO, 


163 



VIEW OF THE VOLCANOES FROM MEXICO. 


the downcast look of the men, the absence of ostenta¬ 
tious display of wealth, and the prevalence of filth which 
every where meet the eye. On every side the passen¬ 
ger is importuned for charity. Disgusting lepers whine 
for clacos; maimed and mutilated wretches, mounted 
on the backs of porters, thrust out their distorted 
limbs and expose their sores, urging their human steeds 
to increase their pace as their victim increases his to 
avoid them. Rows of cripples are brought into the 
streets the firs* thing in the morning, and deposited 
against a wall, whence their infernal whine is heard the 
















164 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


livelong day. Cries such as these everywhere salute 
the ear: 

“ Jesus Maria Purissima; una corta caridad, Cabal¬ 
lero, en el nombre de la santissima madre de Dios; una 
corta caridad, y Dios, lo pagara a usted.” In the name 
of Jesus, the son of the most pure Mary, bestow a little 
charity, my lord; for the sake of the most holy mother 
of God, bestow a trifle, and God will repay you. 

Mexico is the headquarters of dirt. The streets are 
dirty, the houses are dirty, the men are dirty, and the 
women dirtier, and everything you eat and drink is 
dirty. 

This love of dirt only refers to the Mexicans proper, 
since the-Gachupines,* and all foreigners in the city, 
and those Mexicans who have been abroad, keep them¬ 
selves aloof and clean. The streets are filled with 
leperos, with officers in uniform (pleasing themselves 
as to the style), with priests, and fat and filthy Capu- 
chinos, friars and monks. 

Observe every countenance; with hardly an excep¬ 
tion, a physiognomist will detect the expression of vice, 
and crime, and conscious guilt in each. No one looks 
you in the face, but all slouch past with downcast eyes 
and hangdog look, intent upon thoughts that will not 
bear the light. The shops are poor and ill supplied, 
the markets filthy in the extreme. Let no fastidious 
stomach look into the tortillericis, the shops where 
pastry is made. 

* The Gachupin is the term of contempt which was bestowed 
upon the Spaniards in the War of Independence, and is now in¬ 
variably used by the lower classes to distinguish a Spaniard from 
a Mexican. 


























































































































































































































































































































































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ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 


167 


The stranger in Mexico is perpetually annoyed by 
the religious processions which perambulate the streets 
at all hours. A coach, with an eye painted on the 
panels, and drawn by six mules, conveys the Host to 
the houses of dying Catholics who are rich enough to 
pay for the privilege; before this equipage a bell 
tinkles, which warns the orthodox to fall on their 
knees; and wo to the unfortunate who neglects this 
ceremony, either from accident or design. On one 
occasion, being suddenly surprised by the approach of 
one of these processions, I had but just time to doff my 
hat and run behind a corner of a building, when I was 
spied by a fat priest, who, shouldering an image, 
brought up the rear of the procession. As he was at 
the head of a vast crowd who were just rising from 
their knees, he thought it a good opportunity of venting 
an anathema against a vile heretico. Turning first to 
the crowd, as much as to say, “Just see what a dress¬ 
ing I am going to give this fellow,” he, with a most 
severe frown, addressed me: 

“Man,” said he, “ do you refuse to kneel to your 
God?” “No, mi padre,” I answered, “pero al imagen 
de mad^ra”—but to an image of wood. 

“Vaya,” muttered the padre; “lo te pagara el 
demonio”—the devil will pay thee—and marched away. 

Tacubaya is the Richmond of Mexico: villas and 
country residences abound, where the aristocracy resort 
during the hot months. The road passes the great 
aqueduct which supplies the city with water from a 
spring in Chapultepec. It is not strongly built, and 
the arches exhibit many cracks and fissures occasioned 
by the earthquakes. At this season the valley wa? 


168 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


partly inundated, and the road almost impassable to 
carriages. 

By this road Cortez retreated from the city on the 
memorable “noche triste,” the sorrowful night. The 
fatal causeway, the passage of which was so destructive 
to the Spaniards, was probably on nearly the same site 
as the present road, but the latter since that period 
has entirely changed its character. On returning from 
Tacubaya, I visited the hill of Chapultepec, celebrated 
as being the site of Montezuma’s palace, on which, 
toward the close of the seventeenth century, the viceroy 
Galvez erected a huge castle, the remains of which are 
now occupied by the military school.* 

Far more interesting than the apocryphal tradition 
of the Indians’ palace, the viceroy’s castle, or the exist¬ 
ing eyesore, is the magnificent grove of cypress, which 
outlives all the puny structures of man, and still in the 
prime of strength and beauty, looks with contempt on 
the ruined structures of generation after generation 
which have passed away. One of these noble trees is 
upward of seventeen yards in girth, and the most pic¬ 
turesque, and at the same time most nobly proportioned 
tree it is possible to conceive. It rises into the sky a 
perfect pyramid of foliage, and from its sweeping 
branches hang pendulous, graceful festoons of a mossy 
parasite. There are many others of equal height and 
beauty; but this one, which I believe, is called Monte- 

* Chapultepec has been immortalized since the visit of Mr. Rux- 
ton, by being the scene of one of the most memorable of all the 
battles fought during the recent war between Mexico and the United 
States. It was in the storming of this strong castle that the most 
splendid displays of American valour took place. 





V 



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MEXICO FROM THE CONVENT OF SAN COSME 




















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 171 

zuma’s cypress, stands more isolated, and is therefore 
conspicuously grand. From the summit of the hill, to 
which a path winds through a labyrinth of shrubs, a fine 
view of the valley and city of Mexico is obtained, and 
of the surrounding mountains and volcanic peaks. 

The streets of Mexico at night present a very ani¬ 
mated appearance. In the leading thoroughfares the 
tortilleras display their tempting viands, illuminated by 
the blaze from a bra zero, which serves to keep the tortil 
las and chile Colorado in a proper state of heat. To these 
stalls resort the arrieros and loafers of every descrip¬ 
tion, tempted by the shrill invitations of the presiding 
fair ones to taste their wares. Urchins, with blazing 
links, run before the lumbering coaches proceeding to 
the theatres. Cargadores —porters—stand at the cor 
ners of the flooded streets, to bear across the thin- 
booted passengers on their backs. The cries of the 
pordioseros , as the beggars are called from their con¬ 
stant use of “ por Dios,” redouble as the night advances. 
The mounted ones urge their two-legged steeds to 
cut off the crowd thronging toward the theatres, ming 
ling their supplications for alms with objurations on 
their lazy hacks. 

“ Urga limosnita, caballerito, por (to the cargador) 
Malraya ! piernas de piedra, anda—and-a-a—.’, A 
small trifle, my little lord, for the sake of—(aside to the 
unfortunate porter, in a stage whisper) Thunder an( 
fury, thou stony-legged one! get on for the love of 
mercy: he is going to give me a claco. Ar-he — ar-r-lie. 

Red-petticoated poblanas* reboso-wrapped, display 


* The Poblana is the Manola of Mexico. 


172 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


their little feet and well-turned ankles as they cross the 
gutters; and, cigar in mouth, they wend their way to 
the fandangoes of the Barrio de Santa Anna. From 
every pulque-shop is heard the twanging of guitars and 
the quivering notes of the cantadores , who excite the 
guests to renewed potations by their songs in praise of 
the grateful liquor. The popular chorus to one of 
these is: 

“ Sabe que es pulque? 

Licor divino-o! 

Lo beben los angeles 
En el sereno-o.” 

“ Know ye what pulque is? 

Liquor divine! 

Angels in heaven 
Prefer it to wine.” 

Those philosophical strangers who wish to see “life 
in Mexico ” must be careful what they are about, and 
keep their eyes skinned, as they say in Missouri. Here 
there are no detective police from which to select a 
guide for the back slums—no Sergeant Shackel to 
initiate one into the mysteries of St. Giles' and the 
Seven Dials. One must depend upon his own nerve 
and bowie-knife, his presence of mind and Colt's re¬ 
volver; but, armed even with all these precautions, it 
is a dangerous experiment, and much better to be left 
alone. Provided, however, that one speaks the lan¬ 
guage tolerably well, is judicious in the distribution of 
his dollars, and steers clear of committing any act of 
gallantry by which he may provoke the jealousy and 
cuchillo of the susceptible Mejicano, the expedition may 


ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 


173 



MEXICAN ROBBERS, 


be undertaken without much danger, and a satisfactory 
moral drawn therefrom. 

One night, equipped from head to foot “ al paisano,” 
and accompanied by one Josd Maria Canales, a worthy 
rascal, who, in every capacity, from a colonel of dra¬ 
goons to a horse-boy, had perambulated the republic 
from Yucatan to the valley of Taos, and had inhabited 
apartments in the palace of the viceroys as well as in 
the Acordada, and nearly every intermediate grade of 
habitation, I sallied out for the very purpose of perpe¬ 
trating such an expedition as I have attempted to dis¬ 
suade others from undertaking. 

15 * 



174 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


Our first visit was to the classic neighbourhood of 
the Acordada, a prison which contains as unique a 
collection of malefactors as the most civilized cities of 
Europe could produce. On the same principle as that 
professed by the philosopher, who, during a naval battle, 
put his head into a hole through which a cannon-shot 
had just passed, as the most secure place in .the ship 
so do the rogues and rascals, the pick-pockets, mur¬ 
derers, burglars, highwaymen, coiners, et hoc genus omne , 
choose to reside under the very nose of the gallows. 

My companion, who was perfectly at home in this 
locality, recommended that we should visit a cele¬ 
brated pulqueria, where he would introduce me to 
a caballero—a gentleman—who knew every thing that 
was going on, and would inform us what amusements 
were on foot on that particular night. Arrived at the 
pulque shop, we found it a small, filthy den, crowded 
with men and women of the lowest class, swilling the 
popular liquor, and talking unintelligible slang. My 
cicerone led me through the crowd, directly up to a 
man who, with his head through a species of sack with¬ 
out sleeves, and sans chemise , was serving out the pul¬ 
que to his numerous customers. I was introduced as 
“ un forastero, un caballero Yngles”—a stranger—an 
English gentleman, his particular friend. Mine host 
politely offered his hand, assured me that his house and 
all in it was mine from that hour, poured us out two 
large, green tumblers of pulque, and requested us to 
be seated. 

It was soon known that a foreigner was in the room. 
In spite of my dress and common sarape , I was soon 
singled out. Cries of “ Estrangero, Tejano, Yanque, 


ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 


175 


burro,” saluted me; I was a Texan, a Yankee, and 
consequently burro—a jackass. The crowd surrounded 
me, women pushed through the throng, a ver el burro 
—to look at the jackass; and the threats of summary 
chastisement and ejection were muttered. Seeing that 
affairs began to look cloudy, I rose, and, placing my 
hand on my heart, assured the Caballeros y las seno- 
ritas that they laboured under a slight error: that, al¬ 
though my face was white, I was no Texan, neither was 
I a Yankee or a jackass, but “ Yngles, muy amigo a la 
republica”—an Englishman, having the welfare of the 
republic much at heart; and that my affection for 
them, and hatred of their enemies, was something too 
excessive to express; that to prove this, my only hope 
was that they would do me the kindness to discuss at 
their leisure half an arroba of pulque, which I begged 
then and there to pay for, and present to them in 
token of my sincere friendship. 

The tables were instantly turned: I was saluted with 
cries of “ Viva el Yngles ! Que meueren los Yanqu^s ! 
Vivan nosotros y pulque!”—Hurrah for the English¬ 
man ! Death to the Yankees! Long live ourselves 
and pulque! The dirty wretches thronged round to 
shake my hand, and semi-drunken poblanas lavished 
their embraces on “ el guero.” I must here explain 
that, in Mexico, people with fair hair and complexions 
are called guero, guera ; and, from the caprice of human 
nature, the guero is always a favourite of the fair sex: 
the same as, in our country, the olive-coloured foreign¬ 
ers with black hair and beards are thought “ such loves” 
by our fair country-women. The guero, however, 


176 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


shares this favouritism with the genuine unadulterated 
negro, who is also greatly admired by the Mejicanas. 

After leaving the pulqueria, we visited, without 
suspicion, the dens where those people congregate for 
the night—filthy cellars, where men, women, and chil¬ 
dren were sleeping, rolled in sarapes, or in groups, 
playing at cards, furiously smoking, quarrelling, and 
fighting. In one we were attracted to the corner of 
a room, whence issued the low sobs of a woman, and, 
drawing near the spot as well as the almost total dark¬ 
ness would admit, I saw a man, pale and ghastly, 
stretched on a sarape, with the blood streaming from 
a wound in the right breast, which a half-naked woman 
was trying in vain to quench. He had just been stabbed 
by a lepero with whom he had been playing at cards 
and quarrelled, and who was coolly sitting within a 
yard of the wounded man, continuing his game with 
another, the knife lying before him covered with blood. 
The wound was evidently mortal; but no one present 
paid the slightest attention to the dying man, excepting 
the woman, who, true to her nature, was endeavouring 
to relieve. After seeing every thing horrible in this 
region of crime, we took an opposite direction, and, 
crossing the city, entered the suburb called the Barrio 
de Santa Anna. 

This quarter is inhabited by a more respectable class 
of villains. The ladrones a capello —knights of the 
road—make this their rendezvous, and bring here the 
mules and horses they have stolen. It is also.much 
frequented by the arrieros, a class of men who may be 
trusted with untold gold in the way of trade, but who 
are, when not “en atajo” (unemployed), as unserupu- 


ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 


177 


lous as their neighbours. They are a merry set and 
the best of companions on the road; make a great 
deal of money, but, from their devotion to pulque and 
the fair sex, are always poor. “ Gastar dinero como 
arriero”—to spend money like an arriero—is a common 
saying. 

. In a meson much frequented by these men we found 
a fandango of the first order in progress. An atago 
having arrived from Durango, the arrieros belonging 
to it were celebrating their safe arrival by entertaining 
their friends with a bayle ; and into this my friend, who 
was “ one of them,” introduced me as an amigo par¬ 
ticular —a particular friend. The entertainment was 
al-fresco, no room in the meson being large enough ta 
hold the company; consequently the dancing took 
place in the corral, and under the portales, where sat 
the musicians, three guitars and a tambourine, and 
where also was good store of pulque and mezcal. 

The women, in their dress and appearance, reminded 
me of the manolas of Madrid. Some wore very pic¬ 
turesque dresses, and all had massive ornaments of 
gold and silver. The majority, however, had on the 
usual problana enagua, a red or yellow kind of petti¬ 
coat, fringed or embroidered, over the simple chemi¬ 
sette, which, loose and unconfined, except at their 
waists, displayed most prodigally their charms. Stock¬ 
ings are never worn by this class, but they are invari 
ably very particular in their chausure , a well-fitting 
shoe, showing off their small, well-formed feet and 
ankles. The men were all dressed in elaborate Mexi 
can finery, and in the costumes of the different provin 
ces of which they were natives. 


178 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


The dances resembled, in a slight degree, the fan¬ 
dango arabe of Spain, but were more clumsy, and the 
pantomimic action less energetic and striking. Some 
of the dances were descriptive of the dilferent trades 
and professions. El Zapatero . the shoemaker; el 
Sastroncito , the little tailor; el Espadero , the swords¬ 
man, &c., were among those in the greatest demand ; 
the guitar-players keeping time and accompanying 
with their voices in descriptive songs. 

The fandango had progressed very peacefully, and 
good-humour had prevailed until the last hour, when, 
just as the 'dancers were winding up the evening, by 
renewed exertions in the concluding dance, the musi¬ 
cians, inspired by pulque, were twanging with vigour 
their relaxed catgut, and a general chorus was being 
roared out by the romping votaries of Terpsichore, 
above the din and clamour a piercing shriek was heard 
from a corner of the corral, where was congregated a 
knot of men and women, who chose to devote them¬ 
selves to the rosy god for the remainder of the evening, 
rather than to the exertions of the dance. The ball 
was abruptly brought to a conclusion, every one hast¬ 
ening to the quarter whence the shriek proceeded. 

Two men, with drawn knives in their hands, were 
struggling in the arms of several women, who strove to 
prevent their encounter—one of the women having 
received an ugly wound in the attempt, which had 
caused the shriek of pain which had alarmed the 
dancers. 

“ Que es eso?”—What is this?—asked a tall, pow¬ 
erful Burangueno , elbowing his way through the 
crowd. “ Que quierren esos gallos ?”—What do these 


ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 


179 


game-cocks want? “A pelear ?”—To fight, eh? 
“ Vamos, a ver los toros !”—Come, let us see the fun ! 
—he shouted. In an instant a ring was formed; men 
and women standing at a respectful distance, out of 
reach of the knives. Two men held the combatants, 
who, with sarapes rolled round their arms, passion 
darting out of their fiery eyes, looked like two bull-dogs 
ready for the fray. 

At a signal they were loosed at each other, and, with 
a shout, rushed on with uplifted knives. It was short 
work with them, for at the first blow the tendons of the 
right arm of one of them were severed, and his weapon 
fell to the ground; and as his antagonist was about to 
plunge his knife into the body of his disarmed foe, the 
by-standers rushed in and prevented it. at the same 
moment that the patrulla (the patrol) entered the corral 
with bayonets drawn, and sauve-qui-peut was the word ; 
a visit to the Acordada being the certain penalty of 
being concerned in a brawl where knives have been 
used, if taken by the guard. For myself, with a couple 
of soldiers at my heels, I flew out of the gate, and 
never stopped until I found myself safe under the 
sheets, just as daybreak was tinging the top of the 
cathedral. 

/ 


NEW YORK, It Y. 



MONTERET. 


ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 

EFORE the war between the 
United States and Mexico, 
which began in the spring of 
1846, Alta California was 
known only as an extensive, 
thinly-inhabited, grazing terri¬ 
tory, which Mexico had con¬ 
siderable trouble in keeping 
under her sway, in consequence 
of the restless and independent spirit of the people. 
Monterey was the chief port, and hides and tallow 
were the principal articles of commerce. Upon 




















CAPTURE OF MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA. 






















































































































































































































































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ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 183 

the breaking out of the war, the United States forces 
under the command of Commodore Stockton and 
General Kearney easily subdued this territory, first 
taking Monterey and the other chief towns; and at 
the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, it was ceded to the 
United States. Neither party knew the immense 
value of the country thus bartered away. But soon 
after the peace it was accidentally discovered that the 
streams in the valley of the Sacramento and the rocks 
and gulfs of the Sierra Nevada teemed with gold. 
This discovery acted like magic in changing the aspect 
of things in the territory. California became the 
cynosure of all eyes, and from every land the news had 
reached, came crowds upon the search for fortune. The 
old towns, at first deserted, grew, by the great numbers 
of arrivals, to an astonishing size, and new ones sprang 
up as if at the touch of the enchanter’s wand. San 
Francisco, which in 1847 contained about fifty houses, 
became a great city, and its splendid harbour was 
crowded with vessels from all parts of the w T orld. 
Digging and washing for gold was the chief business 
of the eager crowds of adventurers. The scenes and in¬ 
cidents of such a stirring, changing time as this cannot 
but be both amusing and instructive, and happily many 
English and American travellers and adventurers have 
left upon record their observations, trials and operations. 
One of the most graphic of these narrators is Mr. 
Redmond Ryan, whose u Personal adventures in Cali¬ 
fornia,” contains much interesting information and 
amusing incident and is very pleasantly written. Mr. 
Ryan served as a private in the New York regiment 
of volunteers, which after performing some brilliant ex- 


184 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


ploits in Lower California, sailed for Monterey. We 
will let him tell a part of his own story. 

We reached Monterey towards the end of August 
1848, and landed full of hope, feeling satisfied we 
should be immediately disbanded, paid, and once more 
our own masters; free to seek fortune at the “diggings,” 
or elsewhere if we fancied it. But a sore disappoint¬ 
ment awaited us. Governor Mason had decamped to 
the mines; the streets were unpeopled; the houses 
empty, and the town deserted: with the exception of a 
stray “regular” now and then, not a living soul was to 
be met with. Every body was off to the real Tom Tid¬ 
dlers ground, to pick up the gold and silver. From 
one of these straggling regulars we heard that the 
soldiers had long ago abandoned the fort on the hill, 
all attempts to prevent them from deserting their post 
proving utterly futile against the influence of the thirst 
for gold, which every fresh account from the mines 
aggravated. Pursuit was useless; it had been tried 
and failed, for the pursuers in turn became the pursued, 
until Governor Mason himself, learning from experience 
that gold possessed stronger allurements to the soldiers 
than glory, followed the general example, taking with 
him a small government cart and a negro servant. He 
was reported to be away on government business; but 
no doubt was entertained of the real purpose of his 
journey to the mines, namely, to speculate in gold, 
which at this time could be bought there for a fourth 
of its real value in coined money. 

Colonel B-now assumed the command of the 

post in the absence of the Governor; and, upon appli¬ 
cation being made to him for quarters, we were in- 



ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 


186 


formed there were none provided, and we must shift in 
tents as well as we could. The misery of such accom¬ 
modations soon became intolerable, for, having come 
from a very warm latitude but recently, the cold and 
the torrents of rain together threatened to convert 
everv tent into an hospital. In this strait, we resolved 
to procure better lodgings at any risk, and proceeded 
at once to break open and instal ourselves in such 
houses as we judged most suited to our wants. I took 
possession of the school-house—the door of which I 
ought, in self-justification, to add, stood invitingly open 
—and found the private apartments of the schoolmas¬ 
ter exceedingly comfortable. The rest of the house 
was rapidly appropriated by other parties, and became 
crowded to excess. Some of the volunteers, neverthe¬ 
less, preferred remaining in their tents, for reasons 
which we were not long in discovering. They were on 
the look-out for horses, which they were of opinion 
could be better looked after a little way out of the 
town, and were not so likely to be stolen from them. 

We all felt anxious to be moving towards the valley 
of gold as soon as possible, but not a word had we yet 
heard respecting what was just then of considerable im¬ 
portance to us, namely, the pay which the government 
owed us for several months’ service, and an honourable 
and formal discharge—lacking which latter document, 
we should want our title to the one hundred and sixty 
acres of land that had been promised to the volunteers 
as an additional incentive—over and above their pay 
—to remain faithful to their country’s flag. Indeed, 
so many were the difficulties experienced by us at last 
in procuring this important instrument, and so desirous 
16 * 


186 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


were we to depart, that with two exceptions, the whole 
body of us were obliged to take the Colonel’s verbal 
dismissal; a circumstance that ultimately involved the 
majority in an extreme difficulty, when they sought to 
prove their right to the land in question. 

Fortunately for us, there arrived here, one Colonel 
Stevenson, with a party of men from Pueblo de Los 
Angelos, the whole of them being on their way to the 
mines. To his influence we owed a supply of flint-lock 
muskets, in the proportion of one to every two men, 
twenty cartridges, and one month’s rations; all of 
which we received as so much instalment on what was 
really due to us, namely, mileage and scrip, to say 
nothing of our legal title to our one hundred and sixty 
acres of land. 

We were no sooner our own masters again, than there 
commenced on all sides a series of the most active 
preparations for a journey to the mines. The plan 
adopted was to form bands of three, five, or ten, under 
the leadership of one of the number, whose name the 
party took, and continued to be distinguished by. A 
set of written rules was drawn up for the regulation of 
the general interests, these rules varying in certain 
points, according to the peculiar views of particular 
associations. 

Whilst our men were preparing for their departure, 
making purchases, packing provisions, and equipping 
themselves and their horses, the discovery of the body 
of one of our number cast a deep gloom over our spirits. 
He was found at the bottom of a well, with a deep cut 
over his head, evidently inflicted by a sharp instrument. 
An accordion, on which he was in the habit of playing, 


DVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 


187 


tfas also found in the well, on the top of his body, as 
if it had been cast in after it. We never ascertained 
the real cause of this murder, but strongly suspected it 
to have been either the result of an old grudge, or of 
a jealous paroxysm on the part of some of the Span¬ 
iards, with whom he had always been at variance, and 
involved in serious broils. I was much attached to 
him, and sincerely lamented his sad end. 

So much time having now been lost in preparation, 
I proposed that the members of my party should meet 
in my apartment, on a certain evening, for the purpose 
of paying over their respective shares to the common 
stock, in order to complete the purchase of our yoke 
and team. But, although every one agreed to meet, 
three of the party went that evening to Abrigos, and 
gambled away at monte every cent they possessed. 
We were thus left without sufficient funds to procure 
the means of transport; until Halliday, Parker, and 
myself, putting our scanty treasuries together, pur¬ 
chased two more horses; one with a very sore back, 
the other spirited enough, but small, and unfitted for 
heavy burdens. 

We were much embarrassed and very uneasy con¬ 
cerning our companions, whom we did not like to leave 
behind at Monterey, well knowing the privations and 
misery they would have to endure; therefore, and not¬ 
withstanding their improvidence, we determined to per¬ 
mit them to accompany us. One of them had already, 
I should state, left us, and set off after another party, 
then en route , with whom he succeeded in coming up, 
and reaching the mines. 

Having manufactured pack-saddles, and bestowed 


188 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



a Californian Indian. 


away our month’s provisions, our cooking utensils, and 
other necessaries, and I having consented to allow my 
horse to be used for the pack of our two companions, 
the larger of the two other horses being reserved for a 
similar purpose, and the second as a resource, in case 
of a break down, we met, five in number, namely, Devin, 
Halliday, Drew, Parker, and myself, all well armed, 
and in capital spirits, and set off upon our hazardous 
journey in the evening, determined to walk the whole 
way, rather than fatigue our horses, whose strength we 
knew would be severely tried. 

The party endured great hardships during the jour¬ 
ney towards the mines, and great precautions were 
necessary to guard against the robbers and Indians of 
this wild country. An unsuccessful attempt of two 
Indians to steal the horses of the party is thus narrated 
oy Mr. Ryan :— 

Our march proved a long one, although we made 


ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 


189 


little progress in advance, as our route was circuitous, 
and finally obstructed by an immense lagoon, over¬ 
grown with toolies, or bulrushes, and along the borders 
of which we were compelled to proceed up to our knees 
m mud and water, and sometimes even higher. We 
came to the end of the marsh at last, but found our¬ 
selves, so fatigued that further advance was impossible; 
we therefore selected a fitting spot, and made the usual 
preparations for passing the night there. 

Although excessively wearied, I was unable to com¬ 
pose myself to sleep, and lay half-sleeping, half-waking, 
watching the glimmer of the fire. Suddenly—about 
half-past one—I heard a low sound among the bushes, 
at a little distance off; and, listening more attentively, 
at last plainly distinguished footsteps. We had adopted 
the precaution of sleeping a short distance from the 
fire ; so that our movements were not easily discernible. 
I crept stealthily towards Halliday, having first 
grasped my pistols, which I always kept ready for use 
under my head, and with some difficulty succeeded in 
arousing him, desiring him to keep perfectly quiet, but 
on the alert. We were in such a position, at this time, 
as to command a view of our horses and property, 
which had been left under the care of a sentinel, Drew, 
who had fallen fast asleep, his head resting on one of 
the animals which had stretched itself on the ground 
by his side. We watched a few minutes, and then be¬ 
held two Indians stalk cautiously out from amongst the 
bushes, and advance towards our fire, evidently to 
ascertain if any of us were stirring. The inspection 
proving satisfactory, as it seemed, one of them ap¬ 
proached the sleeping sentinel, and cast a lasso around 


190 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


my horse’s neck, whilst the other laid his hands on one 
of the saddles and a pack. I took steady aim at the 
horse-stealer, and, discharging my pistol as he was on 
the point of leading the animal away, perceived that 
the ball took effect in the man’s right shoulder, for he 
dropped the end of the lasso, and, carrying his hand to 
the wound, leaped up, and disappeared in the hush, his 
companion instantly following his example. The report 
of the weapon brought our comrades about us in a 
minute, in a state of great alarm, and all equally eager 
to ascertain the extent of the danger. The story was 
soon told, and our sentinel got severely rebuked, for 
there was little doubt but the Indians, tempted by the 
carelessness of our sentinel, intended to take advantage' 
of it by stealing as much as they could carry off. 
Having adopted additional precautions in the event of 
a second surprise, we lay down again. 

But our troubles were not over, for several times we 
were obliged to get up and run after our horses, which, 
Deing tied up to the low bushes by leathern ropes, 
were set free by the cayotes —a species of animal some¬ 
thing between a fox and a dog—that devour leather 
with avidity, and are ever on the watch to procure it. 
We lost several of these ropes, which are frequently 
converted into temporary bridles by passing them from 
the neck around the nose in an ingenious manner, com¬ 
pletely obviating the use of head-stalls or bit. They 
are often of the handsomest description, and chiefly 
made of leather, which the cayotes nibble away in a 
very short time, ten minutes at most sufficing for them 
to entirely demolish the most solid of them. It may 
readily be imagined, therefore, that, between watching 



GOLD WASHING IN TnE MINES OF CALIFORNIA 







































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































— fir- • 























































































































































































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ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 


193 


for cayotes and thieving Indians, oui repose that night 
was not of the soundest kind, and that, when morning 
came, we were none of us much refreshed. 

Mr. Ryan soon afterwards parted company with 
all of his friends but Halliday, with whom he jour 
neyed towards the Stanislaus mine. When near the 
river Stanislaus the two adventurers joined a larger 
party headed by a Spaniard named Don Emanuel. 
We will let Mr. Ryan tell how things went at the 
“ diggings” of Stanislaus. 

The mine was a deep ravine, embosomed amidst 
lofty hills, surmounted by and covered with pine, and 
naving, in the bottom itself, abundance of rock, mud, 
and sand. Halliday and I encamped at the very 
lowest part of the ravine, at a little distance from Don 
Emanuel’s party; a steep rock which towered above 
our heads affording us shelter, and a huge, flat stone 
beneath our feet promising a fair substitute for a dry 
bed. Here then we stretched our macheers and blankets* 
and arranged our saddles and bags, so as to make our 
selves as comfortable and warm as possible, although, 
in spite of our precautions and contrivances, and of a 
tolerably good fire, our encampment was bitterly cold, 
and we lay exposed to a heavy dew. We had given 
up our horses into the charge of the Indians, and I saw 
to their being safely placed in the cavallard , whilst 
Halliday went to chop wood; a task I was too weak tc 
perform. I cannot say we slept; we might more cor¬ 
rectly be said to have had a long and most uncomfortable 
doze, and when morning broke, we were shivering with 
cold, and shook the dew in a shower from our clothes. 
I consulted with my companion, and urged upon him 

17 


194 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


the prudence of our setting to work to construct our¬ 
selves a sort of log cabin; otherwise I felt certain, from 
the experience of the past night, our sojourn at the 
mines would be likely to prove fatal to one or both of 
us He was, however, far too eager to try his fortune 
at digging to listen to my proposal, at which he even 
smiled, probably at the bare idea of weather, privation, 
or toil, being able to affect his powerful frame. I saw 
him presently depart up the ravine, shouldering a pick, 
and glancing now and then at his knife, whilst I pro¬ 
ceeded in search of materials for constructing a tem¬ 
porary place of shelter. 

As my strength was unequal to the task of felling 
timber, I endeavoured to procure four poles, intending 
to sink them into the ground, and to stretch on the 
top of them a bed-tick I had reserved for the purpose. 
The contrivance was a sorry one at the best, but shelter 
was indispensable; and great was my disappointment 
—though I procured the timber after a painful search 
—to find that the rocks presented an insuperable ob¬ 
stacle to my employing it as I intended. My efforts 
to sink the poles proved utterly futile, and I was at last 
compelled to renounce the attempt in despair. I then 
packed up our goods into as close a compass as possible; 
and, having requested one of the Spaniards in Don 
Emanuel’s party to keep watch over them, departed to 
explore the ravine. 

Within a few paces of our encampment there was a 
large area of ground, probably half a mile square, the 
surface of which consisted of dark soil and slate, and 
was indented with innumerable holes of every possible 
dimension, from six inches to as many feet or more, 


ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 


195 


wide and deep. In all of these lay abundance of water, 
of which large quantities are to be found a little beneath 
the surface, the ravine being supplied with it in great 
abundance by the rains that pour down from the hills 
during the wet season. To the extreme right of our 
camp, the ground assumed a more rocky character; 
and, from the vast deposit of stagnant water, did not 
seem to offer many attractions to the miner. Yet 
there was scarcely a spot in any of these places where 
the crow-bar, the pick, or the jack-knife, had not been 
busy: evidence that the -whole locality must have been 
extremely rich in the precious metal, or it would not 
have been so thoroughly worked. 

In crossing the ravine, I was obliged to leap from 
one mound of earth to another, to avoid plunging ancle- 
deep in mud and water. It was wholly deserted in 
this part, though formerly so much frequented; and, 
with the exception of a few traders, who, having taken 
up their station here when times were good, had not 
yet made arrangements for removing to a more produc 
tive place, not a soul was to be seen. 

I walked on until I reached the trading post of Mr. 
Anderson, formerly .our interpreter in the Lower Coun 
try, whom I felt delighted to meet -with again. His 
shed was situated in one of the dampest parts of the 
mine, and consisted of a few upright poles, traversed 
by cross-pieces, and covered in with raw hides and 
leaves, but yet much exposed at the sides to the wind 
and the weather. He had a few barrels of flour and 
biscuit, which he retailed at tw T o dollars a pound; for 
he made no difference between the price of the raw 
and the prepared material. The flour would go fur- 


196 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


ther, it ;vas true; but then the biscuit required no cook¬ 
ing on the part of the miner, whose time was literally 
money, and whose interest therefore it was to econo¬ 
mize it in every possible manner. He also sold unpre¬ 
pared coffee and sugar at six Yankee shillings a pound ; 
dried beef at one dollar and a half; and pork, which 
was regarded as a great delicacy here, at two dollars 
for the same weight. The various articles of which his 
stock-in-trade consisted he had brought all the way 
from Monterey at considerable labour and expense; 
but, by the exercise of extraordinary tact, perseverance, 
and industry, he had succeeded in establishing a flour¬ 
ishing business. 

I discovered, however, that he possessed another re¬ 
source—by which his gains were marvellously increased 
—in the services of seven or eight Indians, whom he 
kept constantly at work, in the rear of his shed, dig¬ 
ging gold, and whose labour he remunerated with pro¬ 
visions, and occasional presents of articles of trifling 
value to him, but highly esteemed by the Indians. 
They were watched by an American overseer, who was 
employed by him, to assist him in the general business, 
particularly in slaughtering; for,,as beef was scarce, 
he used to send his man in quest of cows and oxen ; 
which he killed, cut up, salted and dried, in his shed, 
and watching the most favourable moment for the 
operation—namely, when meat could not be procured 
at the “ diggings”—never failed to realize his owl* 
price for it. 

Proceeding higher up the ravine, I observed a large 
tent erected on the slope of a hill, within a few yards 
of the bottom, where the gold is usually found. It was 


ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 


197 


surrounded by a trench, the clay from which, as it was 
dug up, had apparently been thrown out against the 
canvass, forming a kind of embankment, rendering it 
at once water and weather-proof. I ventured into it, 
encountering on my way an immense piece of raw beef, 
suspended from the ridge-pole. Upon some stones in 
front, enclosing a small fire, stood a fryingpan, filled 
with rich-looking beef collops, that set my mouth water¬ 
ing, and severely tested my honesty; for, although 
acorns are all very well in their way, and serve to stay 
the cravings of the stomach for a while, I did not find 
my appetite any the less sharp, notwithstanding the 
quantity I had eaten. But I resisted the temptation, 
and penetrated further into the tent. At one side of 
it lay a crow-bar and an old saddle that had seen 
rough service; yet not a soul appeared, and my eyes 
were again ogling the collops, whilst an inward voice 
whispered how imprudent it was to leave them frizzling 
there, when, all at once, a little man, in a “ hickory shirt,” 
with his face all bedaubed with pot-black and grease, 
darted out from some dark corner, flourishing in one 
hand a long bowie-knife, and in the other three by no 
means delicate slices of fat pork, which be at once 
dropped into the fryingpan, stooping down on one 
knee, and becoming immediately absorbed in watching 
the interesting culinary process then going on in it. 

I enjoyed now a fair opportunity of examining his 
features, and felt much gratified to recognize in him 
one of my former companions, the smartest man of his 
corps, and whom I had last seen at Monterey. 

“ Good morning, Firmore,” said I; “ I wish you joj 
of your occupation.” 


17 * 


198 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


He started up from his knees, and looked at me 
awhile in perfect amazement; then rushing upon me 
with such earnestness as nearly to throw me down, he 
shook me by the hand until I thought he would work 
my arm out of its socket. 

u What, you !” he exclaimed. “Well, well. Who 
ever would have thought to see you here! How did 
you come, and where did you start from? You are 
looking all the worse for wear.” 

“I can’t say,you look quite as dapper, Firmore,” 
replied I, “as you did the day we went ashore at Val¬ 
paraiso. But I suppose you have no cause to com¬ 
plain, for you appear to weather it well.” 

“Oh, I don’t know that!” he responded: “I have 
had but indifferent luck. For several days after I got 
here, I did not make any thing; but since then I have, 
by the hardest work, averaged about seven dollars a 
day. When you consider the price of provisions, the 
hardness of the labour, and the wear and tear of body, 
mind, and clothes ’—here he exhibited his rags—“you 
will admit that this is but poor remuneration. How¬ 
ever, I live in hopes of getting a streak of luck yet. 
I am now cooking for our party. There are ten of us, 
and amongst the rest are Van Anken and Hughes. 
Van has been immensely fortunate. Every place he 
touches turns to gold under his fingers. Sometimes, 
after exhausting one place, he tries another which has 
been abandoned, and I have known him pick out of it 
seven and eight ounces a day, for days together. One 
thing is, he never tires. He is, as you know T , a stout 
though a small-made man, with a constitution as tough 
sis old iron. He laughs at fever and ague, and goes 


ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 199 

to sleep by the side of them as though they were first- 
rate bedfellows. It’s astonishing the number of men 
who have lost a fortune through these two complaints ; 
when they’re touched, good-bye. If their “ diggin” 
were ever so rich, they’re obliged to desert it; and, 
once deserted, why not even their own brother 
would respect it. Hughes, now, has been every bit as 
unlucky. He has had the poorest chance of all, and I 
don’t think he has dug more than five ounces ever since 
he came here.” 

“ I should have thought him likelier to succeed than 
any other,” I observed; “for he is a large and a 
strong-looking man.” 

“Ah! it’s more luck than any thing else,” replied 
he. “ But, luck or no luck, no man can pick up gold, 
even here, without the very hardest labour, and that’s 
a fact. Some think that it’s only to come here, squat 
down any wdiere, and pick away. But they soon find 
out their mistake. I never knew what hard work was 
until I came here. Talk of digging on the canal; why, 
that’s easy, comfortable employment, compared to dig¬ 
ging here for gold. Any where else, you may hope to 
go to some sort of a home at night, and go to some¬ 
thing like a tolerable bed, where you may lie down 
snug and warm, and sleep out your weariness. But 

here, why every hour you sleep, you are losing; and 

that notion keeps you from snoozing even when it’s too 
dark to work. However, I’ve made up my mind to 

Btick to it till I’ve made enough to go back to the 

‘ States’ independent; or, at any rate, a little more so 
than when I came out. Ah! here are our boys.” 

I looked out and beheld the party coming down the 


2G0 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


iavine, with crow-bars over their shoulders and wash 
Dowls under their arms. Van appeared glad to meet 
with me again; and, I must say, that, notwithstanding 
the inordinate selfishness brought into action by the 
peculiar circumstances in which the miners were placed, 
the esprit-de-corps of the volunteers prevented and 
alleviated much suffering amongst individuals. They 
cordially invited me to breakfast, hut, fearing so large 
a party was not over-abundantly supplied with provi¬ 
sions, I declined their offer with many thanks; and, 
bidding them good morning, proceeded a little further. 

I came up next with a group of three Sonoreans, or 
inhabitants of Sonora, busily engaged on a small sandy 
flat—the only one I had observed—at the bottom of 
the ravine. There was no water near, although I 
noticed several holes which had evidently been sunk in 
quest of it. These men were actively pursuing a pro¬ 
cess that is termed “ dry-washing.” One was shovel¬ 
ling up the sand into a large cloth, stretched out upon 
the ground, and which, when it was tolerably well 
covered, he took up by the corners, and shook until the 
pebbles and larger particles of stone and dirt came to 
die surface. These he brushed away carefully with 
nis hand, repeating the process of shaking and clearing 
until the residue was sufficiently fine for the next opera¬ 
tion. This was performed by the other men, who, 
epositing the sand in large bowls hewn out of a solid 
block of wood, which they held in their hands, dexter¬ 
ously cast the contents up before them, about four feet 
into the air, catching the sand again very cleverly, and 
blowing at it as it descended. This process being 
repeated, the sand gradually disappeared; and from 


ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 


201 


two to three ounces of pure gold remained at the hot- 
tom of the bowl. Easy as the operation appeared to 
me to be, 1 learned, upon inquiry, that to perform it 
successfully required the nicest management, the 
greatest perseverance, and especially robust lungs 
The men I saw had lighted upon a productive sand, 
but very often, indeed, those who adopt this mode of 
gold-washing toil long at barren soil before they dis¬ 
cover the uselessness of labouring thus arduously. 

I noticed, that although the largest proportion of the 
gold obtained in this manner presented the appearance 
of a fine powder, it was interspersed, here and there, 
with large scales of the precious deposit, and with a 
few solid lumps. The metal was of a dingy hue, and. 
at a cursory view, might easily have been mistaken for 
particles of yellow clay^ or laminae of stone of the same 
colour. The Sonoreans placed the product of their 
labour in buckskin bags, which were hung around their 
necks, and carefully concealed inside of their shirts. 
They work in this fashion at the mines in their own 
country; but I doubt.if any other than a native con¬ 
stitution could very long bear up against the peculiar 
labour of “ dry-washing” in such a climate and under 
such difficult circumstances. I felt half tempted to 
try the process myself, for the surface of this sandy 
bed was literally sparkling with innumerable particles 
of the finest gold, triturated to a polish by the running 
of the waters—as I conjectured : but I soon discovered 
how fruitless my efforts would be. Had I possessed 
any chemical agents at hand, however, I might soon 
have exhausted the bed of its precious contents, and 
should, doubtless, have realized an immense weight of . 
the metal of the very purest quality. 


202 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


Continuing my route up the ravine, I met a man 
named Corrigan, galloping along with two fine horses, 
one of which he was leading. He stopped as soon as 
he recognized me, and we were soon engaged in a very 
interesting conversation respecting the doings at the 
6 diggings.” The substance of his information was, 
that he had made a great deal of money at the mines 
by digging, but infinitely more by speculation. He 
thought of buying a ranche , marrying, and settling 
down. He was then going to seek for pasture for his 
horses; and, bidding me a hasty good by, galloped off, 
and .soon disappeared. 

As I advanced, the ground became drier and more 
sandy, rock and slate of various kinds abounding; 
some quite soft and friable, yielding readily to the 
pickaxe or the crow-bar; and, i^ other places, so hard 
as to resist the utmost strength of the miners. Several 
of the diggers were perseveringly exploring the locali¬ 
ties where the rotten sorts of slate were found in the 
largest quantities, and I saw them pick out a good 
deal of gold with their jack-knives. Their principal 
aim was to discover what they termed “a pocket,” 
which is nothing more than a crevice between the blocks 
of slate, into which a deposit of gold has been washed 
by the heavy rains from the higher districts, and which, 
so m accumulating, swell into rapid torrents, which rush 
down these ravines with extraordinary swiftness and 
force, sweeping every thing before them. 

There did not appear to be many mining parties at 
the Stanislaus at this particular period, for the encamp¬ 
ments were generally from two to five miles apart, the 
space between them increasing the higher you advanced 


ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 


203 


towards the mountains, to the foot of which the ravine 
extended—altogether, a distance of many miles. The 
lower part of the mine, I concluded from this fact, to 
be by far the richer, simply from the circumstance I 
have mentioned: richer, comparatively, because here 
the deposits of gold are more easily found and ex 
tracted; not richer, in reality, as the metal must exist 
in immense quantities in the upper regions, from which 
it is washed down by the rains and floods into the lower 
districts. The virgin deposit would, doubtless, be diffi¬ 
cult to come at; but, if sought after at all, that it is 
to be sought in the mountains and high lands, I feel 
persuaded. 

I turned back, after prosecuting my excursion until 
the ravine became almost too rocky to allow me to 
proceed, and until I saw that the “diggings” dimin¬ 
ished materially in number. On clambering the hills 
at the side, I beheld abundance of pines, oak, cedar, 
and palm; but no grass, nor vegetation of any other 
kind, save prickly shrubs, with here and there a patch 
of extremely dry moss. On my way back, I passed 
several tents and huts erected by the miners, all of the 
very poorest and most wretched description. 

I found Van Anken’s party at dinner, in front of 
their tent. Van showed me a leathern bag, containing 
several pounds’ weight of very pure gold, and which 
was carelessly tossed about from one to the other for 
examination. It was the produce of his morning’s 
work, he having fortunately struck upon a large 
pocket. 

On inquiring whether, as there existed such strong 
temptation, robberies were not very frequent, I was 


204 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


informed, that, although thefts had occurred, yet, 
generally speaking, the miners dwelt in no distrust of 
one another, and left thousands of dollars’ worth in gold- 
dust in their tents whilst they were absent digging 
They all felt, intuitively, that honesty tvas literally the 
best policy, and a determination to punish robbery 
seemed to have been come to by all as a measure essen 
tial to the security and welfare of the mining commu¬ 
nity, independent of any question of principle. 

Gambling and drinking were carried on, I found, to 
a most demoralizing extent. Brandy and champagne, 
whenever they were brought to the “ diggings,” realized 
enormous prices, varying from sixteen to twenty dollars 
a bottle; and some of the men would, after accumula¬ 
ting some hundred dollars, squander the whole in pur¬ 
chasing these beverages. Believing the supply of gold 
to be inexhaustible, they persisted in this reckless course, 
and discovered only when it became too late to redeem 
their error, that even here gold cannot always be pro¬ 
cured. They went on until the placers failed to yield, 
and were then reduced to great extremities. 

The miners were by no means averse to lending 
“ dust” to those who required it, notwithstanding that 
the lenders often experienced some difficulty in getting 
back the advance. One of Van’s party, for instance, 
lent another six ounces of gold, which not being re¬ 
turned at the stipulated period, nor for some time 
afterwards, he dunned his debtor at every meal, until 
the latter, who had quietly submitted to the importu¬ 
nity, begged him to “just wait ten minutes, and time 
it.” He shouldered his pickaxe, as he said this, and 
going out of the shed, returned within the time, bring- 






FRANCISCO. 





















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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mm -- 















ag^ \ ■ 



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ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 207 

mg back more than sufficient to liquidate the debt. 
This little incident created much amusement. 

Mr. Ryan was not very successful in his search foi 
gold. Sickness was a great drawback to him. At 
length, when his supply of provisions was nearly ex 
hausted and his prospects very gloomy, he embraced 
an opportunity to leave the mines and proceed to 
Stockton, the depot of the southern portion of the gold 
region. From that place, he proceeded to Sacramento, 
and thence to San Francisco, at the rapid growth of 
which he was naturally amazed. His description of 
this new city and account of his own adventures in it 
may be quoted as particularly interesting:— 

On landing, I had to clamber up a steep hill, on the 
top of which, and opposite to where I stood, was a large 
wooden house, two stories high, and scarcely half 
finished. In the rear of this, rose another and a 
steeper hill, whose slopes were covered with a multi¬ 
plicity of tents. To my right, ran a sort of steep, or 
precipice, defended by sundry pieces of cannon, which 
commanded the entrance to the harbour. I next came 
to the “ Point,” and, crossing it, found myself within 
the town. 

The first objects that attracted my notice were 
several canvass houses, measuring from ten to forty 
feet square, some being grog-shops, others eating esta¬ 
blishments, and the larger set apart as ware-houses, or 
olaces of storage. The proprietors of the latter were 
making enormous sums by the accommodation their 
tents afforded to the hundreds of travellers who were 
arriving every day from different parts, and who, being 
extremely embarrassed as to what they should do with 


208 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


their luggage, were heartily glad to find any safe place 
to store it in, and content to pay for the convenience. 
As I passed another half-completed wooden structure, 
I thought I would venture upon an inquiry, just by 
way of ascertaining whether I had any chance of pro¬ 
curing employment as a house-painter. I was offered 
thirty-six dollars a-week; an offer I did not immedi¬ 
ately accept, notwithstanding the favourable reception 
I met with. 

The spectacle which the beach presented from a con¬ 
venient opening, whence I could comprise the whole at 
a glance, was singularly interesting and curious. A 
crowd of individuals, in motley garb, and of every 
variety of race, might be seen pressing eagerly upward 
towards the town, jostling and pushing one another, in 
their anxiety to be first, yet looking eagerly about 
them, as if to familiarize themselves at once with the 
country of their adoption. Here were dandies from 
the United States and from France, picking their steps 
mincingly, as they strove to keep pace with the sturdy 
fellows who carried their luggage; their beaver hats, 
fashionable frock-coats, irreproachable and well-strapped 
pantaloons, exciting the derisive remarks of the spec¬ 
tators, the majority of them “old Californians,” whose 
rough labour at the “diggings” had taught them to 
estimate such niaiseries at their proper value. By 
their side stalked the stately and dignified Spaniard, 
covered with his broad-brimmed, low-crowned sombrero , 
and gracefully enveloped in his ample serapa , set off 
by a bright scarlet sash. He turns neither to the right 
nor to the left, nor heeds the crowd about him, but 
keeps on the even tenour of his way—though even he 


ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 


209 


has occasionally to jump for it—presenting, in his 
demeanour and costume, a striking contrast to the more 
hustling activity of the Yankees, who are elbowing 
every one, in their anxiety to go a-head. A lot of 
shopboys, too, meie lads, as spruce and neatly attired 
as though they had just stepped out of Some fashion¬ 
able emporium, mingle with the rest, and, as they 
enter the town, strike up the popular parody— 

“ Oh, California! That’s the land for me ! 

I’m bound for the Sacramento, with 

The wash-bowl on my knee.” 

I walked on until I came up to a group of men, who, 
like myself, were looking on the busy scene before us 
with no small degree of interest. I recognised amongst 
them two of the volunteers, with whom I forthwith 
claimed acquaintance. The whole party had come 
from the mines, as was easily to be seen from their 
appearance, which was something the worse for wear, 
their countenances being weather-beaten and bronzed 
by exposure ; whilst their attire, consisting of buckskin 
coats, leather leggings, and broad-brimmed hats, de¬ 
noted the sort of labour in which they had been re¬ 
cently engaged. I learned from them, in the course 
of a subsequent conversation, that they had all of them 
been successful at the “ diggings.” One of the number 
had made, or “picked,’’ two thousand dollars, and the 
rest, from that to nine thousand dollars each, within 
the space of a few months. With this, however, they 
were far from satisfied, most of them being determined 
to realize a large fortune before they quitted the coun- 
18 * 


210 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


try; for not one of them seemed to have the remotest 
intention of settling. 

An individual of this number, nevertheless, was com¬ 
pelled to remain longer than he anticipated; for, 
having returned to the mines, and there procured as 
much gold as satisfied him, he was robbed of the whole, 
on his way back to San Francisco. He thereupon 
coolly went hack to the “ diggings,” and recommenced 
his labours; with what success I know not; but he 
remained there during the whole period of my sojourn 
in the country. 

The party had come down from the mines to make 
purchases, and to enjoy a little recreation. They were 
admirable specimens of their class—hardy in appear¬ 
ance, and rough in demeanour; but shrewd, withal, 
and toil-enduring. For the moment, their conversation 
turned upon the prospects of the newly-landed emi¬ 
grants—for I should have stated that there were one 
or two arrivals in the harbour—and they were unspar¬ 
ing of their remarks upon such of the new-comers as 
by their dress, or any physical peculiarity, offered a 
fair target for their witticisms, which were not less 
pointed than coarse. 

With regard to the town towards which all were 
pressing, they expressed a unanimous opinion. It 
was the most wonderful place in the world—for its size 
—and promised, if it continued to progress in impor 
tance and extent as rapidly as it had done of late, to 
eclipse some of its rivals of more ancient date; inas 
much as civilization was imported to it full-grown, 
backed by all the energy and enterprise which gold 


ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA. 


211 


could inspire, or the possession of it in almost unlimited 
quantities develop. 

I passed my first night in San Francisco stretched 
upon a form, in a tavern, where the boisterous mirth 
of a rude crowd of revellers effectually prevented me 
frcm dreaming of any thing else but drums and cymbals 
clattering in most execrable confusion and discord. 
Once I thought I was drowning; for I experienced 
the peculiar roaring sensation of deafness incidental to 
immersing one’s head in the water ; but, on awakening, 
I found that one of the company, being waggishly 
inclined, had poured some of the liquor he was drink¬ 
ing into my ear. I thought it a very poor joke, but 
laughed at it as though I very much relished it; and, 
altering my position, dozed off again, and remained in 
a dog’s sleep until the morning 









ROUGHING IT IN CANADA. 


RS. MOODIE, sister to Miss Strick¬ 
land who wrote the Lives of 
the Queens of England, has re¬ 
cently given the world a lively re¬ 
lation of her life in the wildest part 
of Canada,* whither she accom¬ 
panied her husband as an emigrant 
and settler. Brought up among the refinements of 
civilized society, this lady submitted with admirable 



* The work is entitled Roughing it in the Bush, and has just 
been published by George P. Putnam, New York. 

(212) 





























































































































































































































































% 


s 










J* 




















ROUGHING IT IN CANADA. 


215 


grace to all the labour and privation of a settler in the 
backwoods. Mr. Moodie was a half-pay officer in the 
British army, and sought a settlement in Canada, with 
a view to the interests of his children. At first they 
lived in a village; but a large grant of lands in the 
backwoods tempted Mr. Moodie to become a pioneer. 
He was induced to sell out his half pay, was cheated 
out of the money which it brought, and of his other 
available means, and he was obliged to live in a log hut, 
and to depend upon his labour on his wild farm for the 
support of himself and his family. An appointment of 
sheriff from the Canadian government finally afforded 
him a handsome support, and enabled him to leave his 
log cabin, and reside in comparative ease and comfort 
in one of the large towns. 

The following account of one of the adventures of Mr. 
and Mrs. Moodie, will afford the reader a specimen of 
the perils attendant upon “roughing it in the bush.” 

Still, with all these misfortunes, Providence watched 
over us in a signal manner. We were never left 
entirely without food. Like the widow’s cruise of oil, 
our means, though small, were never suffered to cease 
entirely. We had been for some days without meat, 
when Moodie came running in for his gun. A great 
she-bear was in the wheat-field at the edge of the wood, 
very busily employed in helping to harvest the crop. 
There was but one bullet, and a charge or two of buck 
shot, in the house; but Moodie started to the wood 
with the single bullet in his gun, followed by a little 

terrier dog that belonged to John E-. Old Jenny 

was busy at the wash-tub, but. the moment she saw her 
master running up the clearing, and knew the cause, 



216 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


she left her work, and snatching up the carving-knife, 
ran after him, that in case the bear should have the 
best of the fight, she would be there to help “ the mas- 
ther.” Finding her shoes incommode her, she flung 
them off*, in order to run faster. A few minutes after, 
came the report of the gun, and I heard Moodie halloo 

to E-, who was cutting stakes for a fence in the 

wood. I hardly thought it possible that he could have 
killed the bear, but I ran to the door to listen. The 
children were all excitement, which the sight of the 
black monster, borne down the clearing upon two poles, 
increased to the wildest demonstrations of joy. Moodie 
and John were carrying the prize, and old Jenny, 
brandishing her^arving-knife, followed in the rear. 

The rest of the evening was spent in skinning and 
cutting up and salting the ugly creature,- whose flesh 
filled a barrel with excellent meat, in flavour resembling 
beef, while the short grain and juicy nature of the flesh 
gave to it the tenderness of mutton. This was quite a 
Godsend, and lasted us until we were able to kill two 
large, fat hogs, in the fall. 

A few nights after, Moodie and I encountered the 
mate of Mrs. Bruin, while returning from a visit to 
Emilia, in the very depth of the wood. 

We had been invited to meet our friend’s father and 
mother, who had come up on a short visit to the woods; 
and the evening passed away so pleasantly that it was 
near midnight before the little party of friends sepa¬ 
rated. The moon was down. The wood through which 
we had to return, was very dark; the ground being low 
and swampy, and the trees thick and tall. There was, 
in particular, one very ugly spot, where a small creek 



ROUGHING IT IN CANADA. 


217 


crossed the road. This creek could only be passed by 
foot-passengers scrambling over a fallen tree, which, in 
a dark night, w s not very easy to find. I begged a 

torch of Mr. M-; but no torch could be found. 

Emilia laughed at my fears; still, knowing what a 
coward I was in the bush of a night, she found 
about an inch of candle, which was all that remained 
from the evening’s entertainment. This she put into 
an old lantern. 

“ It will not last you long; but it will carry you 
over the creek.” 

This was something gained, and off we set. It was 
so dark in the bush, that our dim candle looked like a 
solitary red spark in the intense surrounding darkness, 
and scarcely served to show us the path. We went 
chatting along, talking over the news of the evening, 
Hector running on before us, when I saw a pair of eyes 
glare upon us from the edge of the swamp, with the 
green, bright light emitted by the eyes of a cat. 

“ Did you see those terrible eyes, Moodie ?” and I 
clung, trembling, to his arm. 

“What eyes?” said he, feigning ignorance. “It’s 
too dark to see any thing. The light is nearly gone, 
and, if you don’t quicken your pace, and cross the tree 
before it goes out, you will, perhaps, get your feet wet 
by falling into the creek.” 

“ Good heavens ! I saw them again ; and do just look 
at the dog.” 

Hector stopped suddenly, and, stretching himself 
along the ground, his nose resting between his fore¬ 
paws began to whine and tremble. Presently he ran back 
to us, and crept under our feet. The cracking of 
19 



218 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


branches, and the heavy tread of some large animal 
sounded close beside us. 

Moodie turned the open lantern in the direction from 
whence the sounds came, and shouted as loud as he 
could, at the same time endeavouring to urge forward 
the fear-stricken dog, whose cowardice was only equalled 
by my own. 

Just at that critical moment the wick of the candle 
flickered a moment in the socket, and expired. We 
were left in perfect darkness, alone with the bear—for 
such we supposed the'animal to be. 

My heart beat audibly; a cold perspiration was 
streaming down my face, but I neither shrieked nor 
attempted to run. I don’t know how Moodie got me 
over the creek. One of my feet slipped, into the water, 
but, expecting as I did every moment, to be devoured 
by master Bruin, that was a thing of no consequence. 
My husband was laughing at my fears, and every now 
and then he turned towards our companion, who con¬ 
tinued following us at no great distance, and gave him 
an encouraging shout. Glad enough was I when I saw 
the gleam of the light from our little cabin window 
shine out among the trees; and the moment I got 
within the clearing, I ran, without stopping, until I was 
safely within the house. John was sitting up for us, 
nursing Donald. He listened with great interest to 
our adventure with the bear, and thought that Bruin 
was very good to let us escape without one affectionate 
hug. 

“Perhaps it would have been otherwise had he 
known, Moodie, that you had not only killed his good 


ROUGHING IT IN CANADA. 219 

lady, but were dining sumptuously off her carcass 
every day.” 

The bear was determined to have something in 
return for the loss of his wife. Several nights after 
this, our slumbers were disturbed about midnight, by an 
awful yell, and old Jenny shook violently at our cham¬ 
ber door. 

“ Masther, masther, dear!—Get up wid you this 
noment, or the bear will desthroy the cattle intirely.” 

Half asleep, Moodie sprang from his bed, seized his 
gun, and ran out. I threw my large cloak round me, 
struck a light, and followed him to the door. The 
moment the latter was unclosed, some calves that we 
were rearing rushed into the kitchen, closely followed 
by the larger beasts, who came bellowing headlong 
down the hill, pursued by the bear. 

It was a laughable scene as shown by that paltry 
tallow-candle. Moodie, in his night shirt, taking aim 
at something in the darkness, surrounded by the terri¬ 
fied animals; old Jenny, with a large knife in her hand, 
holding on to the w r hite skirts of her master’s garment, 
making outcry loud enough to frighten away all the 
wild beasts in the bush—herself almost in a state of 
nudity. 

“ Och, maisther, dear! don’t timpt the ill-condi¬ 
tioned crathur wid charging too near; think of the wife 
and the childher. Let me come at the rampaging 
baste, an’ I’ll stick the knife into the heart of him.” 

Moodie fired. The bear retreated up the clearing, 
with a low growl. Moodie and Jenny pursued him 
some way, but it was too dark to discern any object at 
a distance. I, for my part, stood at the open door, 


220 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 

laughing until the tears ran down , my cheeks, at the 
glaring eyes of the oxen, their ears erect, and their 
tails carried gracefully on a level with their backs, as 
they stared at me and the light in blank astonishment. 

The noise of the gun had just roused John E-from 

his slumbers. He was no less amused than myself, 
until he saw that a fine yearling heifer was bleeding* 
and found, upon examination, that the poor animal, 
having been in the claws of the bear, was dangerously, 
if not mortally hurt. 

“I hope,” he cried, “that the brute has not touched 
my foal!” I pointed to the black face of the filly 
peeping over the back of an elderly cow. 

“You see, John, that Bruin preferred veal; there’s 
your ‘horsey,’ as Dunbar calls her, safe and laughing 
at you.” 

Moodie and Jenny now returned from the pursuit of 

the bear. E-fastened all the cattle into the back 

yard, close to the house. By daylight he and Moodie 
had started in chase of Bruin, whom they tracked by 
his blood some way into the bush; but here he entirely 
escaped their search. 



» 






INDIANS FISHING. 















































































































































































































































































































































THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


HE following account of 
the Indians of Canada, 
who occasionally visited 
Mr. Moodie’s residence 
in the bush, is extremely 
interesting. It is a true 
and graphic delineation 
of their real character. 

It was not long before 
we received visits from 
the Indians, a people whose beauty, talents, and good 
qualities have been somewhat overrated, and invested 
with a poetical interest which they scarcely deserve. 
Their honesty and love of truth are the finest traits in 
characters otherwise dark and unlovely. But these are 













224 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


two God-like attributes, and from them spring all that 
is generous and ennobling about them. 

There never was a people more sensible of kindness, 
or more grateful for any little act of benevolence exer¬ 
cised towards them. We met them with confidence ; our 
dealings with them were conducted with the strictest 
integrity; and they became attached to our persons, 
and in no single instance ever destroyed the good 
opinion we entertained of them. 

The tribes that occupy the shores of all these inland 
waters, back of the great lakes, belong to the Chippewa 
or Missasagua Indians, perhaps the least attractive of 
all these wild people, both with regard to their physical 
and mental endowments. The men of this tribe are 
generally small of stature, with very coarse and repul¬ 
sive features. The forehead is low and retreating, the 
observing faculties lj^rge, the intellectual ones scarcely 
developed : the ears large, and standing off* from the 
face; the eyes looking towards the temples, keen, 
snake-like, and far apart; the cheek-bones prominent; 
the nose long and flat, the nostrils very round; the 
jaw-bone projecting, massy, and brutal; the mouth 
expressing ferocity and sullen determination; the teeth 
large, even, and dazzlingly white. The mouth of the 
female differs widely in expression from that of the 
male; the lips are fuller, the jaw less projecting, and 
the smile is simple and agreeable. The women are a 
merry, light-hearted' set, and their constant laugh and 
incessant prattle form a strange contrast to the iron 
taciturnity of their grim lords. 

Now I am upon the subject, I will recapitulate a few 


THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


225 


traits and sketches of these people, as they came under 
my own immediate observation. 

A dry cedar swamp, not far from the house, by the 
lake shore, had been their usual place of encampment 
for many years. The whole block of land was almost 
entirely covered with maple-trees, and had originally 
been an Indian sugar-bush. Although the favourite 
spot had now passed into the hands of strangers, they 
still frequented the place, to make canoes and baskets, 
to fish and shoot, and occasionally to follow their old 
occupation. Scarcely a week passed away without my 
being visited by the dark strangers; and as my hus¬ 
band never allowed them to eat with the servants, but 
brought them to his own table, they soon grew friendly 
and communicative, and would point to every object 
that attracted their attention, asking a thousand ques¬ 
tions as to its use, the material of which it was made, 
and if we were inclined to exchange it for their commo¬ 
dities ? With a large map of Canada, they were infi¬ 
nitely delighted. In a moment they recognised every 
bay and headland in Ontario, and almost screamed 
with delight when, following the course of the Trent 
with their fingers, they came to their own lake. 

How eagerly each pointed out the spot to his fellows; 
how intently their black heads were bent down, and 
their dark eyes fixed upon the map! What strange, 
uncouth exclamations of surprise burst from their lips 
as they rapidly repeated the Indian names for every 
lake and river on this wonderful piece of paper! 

The old chief, Peter Nogan, begged hard for the 
coveted treasure. He would give “ Canoe, venison, 
duck, fish for it, and more, by and by.” 


226 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


I felt sorry that I was unable to gratify his wishes; 
but the map had cost upwards of six dollars, and was 
daily consulted by my husband, in reference to the 
names and situations of localities in the neighborhood. 

I had in my possession a curious Japanese sword, 
which had been, given to me by an uncle of Tom Wil¬ 
son’s—a strange gift to a young lady; but it was on 
account of its curiosity, and had no reference to my 
warlike propensities. This sword was broad, and three- 
sided in the blade, and in shape resembled a moving 
snake. The hilt was formed of a hideous carved image 
of one of their war-gods ; and a more villainous-looking 
wretch was never conceived by the most distorted 
imagination. He was represented in a sitting attitude, 
the eagle’s claws that formed his hands, resting upon 
his knees; his legs terminated in lion’s paws ; and his 
face was a strange compound of beast and bird—the 
upper part of his person being covered with feathers, 
the lower with long, shaggy hair. The case of this 
awful weapon was made of wood, and, in spite of its 
serpentine form, fitted it exactly. No trace of a joint 
could be found in this scabbard, which was of hard 
wood, and highly polished. 

One of my Indian friends found this sword lying 
upon the book-shelf, and he hurried to communicate 
the important discovery to his companions. Moodie 
was absent, and they brought it to me to demand an 
explanation of the figure that, formed the hilt. I told 
them that* it was a weapon that belonged to a very fierce 
people who lived in the East, far over the Great Salt 
Lake; that they were not Christians, as we were, but 
said *heir prayers to images made of silver, and gold, 


THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


227 


and ivory, and wood, and that this was one of them; 
that before they went into battle they said their 
prayers to that hideous thing which they had made with 
their own hands. The Indians were highly amused by 
this relation, and passed the sword from one to the 
other, exclaiming, “ A god !—Owgh!—a god !” 

But, in spite of these outward demonstrations of con¬ 
tempt, I was sorry to perceive that this circumstance 
gave the weapon a great value in their eyes, and they 
regarded it with a sort of mysterious awe. 

For several days they continued to visit the house, 
bringing along with them some fresh companion to 
look at Mrs. Moodie’s god ! —until, vexed and annoyed 
by the delight they manifested at the sight of the eagle- 
beaked monster, I refused to gratify their curiosity, by 
not producing him again. 

The manufacture of the sheath, which had caused me 
much perplexity, was explained by old Peter in a min¬ 
ute. “’Tis burnt out,” he said. “Instrument made 
like sword—heat red-hot—burnt through—polished out¬ 
side.” 

Had I demanded a whole fleet of canoes for my 
Japanese sword, I am certain they would have agreed 
to the bargain The Indian possesses great taste, 
which is displayed in the carving of his paddles, in the 
shape of his canoes, in the elegance and symmetry of 
his bows, in the cut of his leggings and moccasins, the 
sheath of his hunting-knife, and in all the little orna¬ 
ments in which he delights. It is almost impossible for 
a settler to imitate to perfection an Indian’s cherry- 
wood paddle. My husband made very creditable at¬ 
tempts, but still there was something wanting—the 


228 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


elegance of the Indian finish was not there. If you show 
them a good print, they invariably point out the most 
natural and the best-executed figure in the group. They 
are particularly delighted with pictures, examine them 
long and carefully, and seem to feel an artist-like plea¬ 
sure in observing the effect produced by light and shade. 

I had been showing John Nogan, the eldest son of 
old Peter, some beautiful coloured engravings of cele¬ 
brated females; and, to my astonishment, he pounced 
upon the best, and grunted out his admiration in the 
most approved Indian fashion. After having looked for a 
long time at all the pictures very attentively, he took his 
dog Sancho upon his knee, and showed him the pictures, 
with as much gravity as if the animal really could have 
shared in his pleasure. The vanity of these grave men 
is highly amusing. They seem perfectly unconscious of it 
themselves; and it is exhibited in the most childlike 
manner. 

Peter and his son, John, were taking tea with us, 

when we were joined by my brother, Mr. S-. The 

latter was giving us an account of the marriage of 
Peter Jones, the celebrated Indian preacher. 

“ I cannot think,” he said, “ how any lady of pro¬ 
perty and education could marry such a man as Jones 
Why, he’s as ugly as Peter here.” 

This was said, not with any idea of insulting the 
red-skin on the score of his beauty, of which he pos¬ 
sessed not the smallest particle, but in total forgetful¬ 
ness that our guest understood English. Never shall 
I forget the red flash of that fierce, dark eye as it 
glared upon my unconscious brother. I would not 
nave received such a fiery glance for all the wealth 


THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


229 


that Peter Jones obtained with his Saxon bride. John 
Nogan was highly amused by his father’s indignation. 
He hid his face behind the chief; and though he kept 
perfectly still his whole frame was convulsed with sup 
pressed laughter. 

A plainer human being than poor Peter could 
scarcely be imagined ; yet he certainly deemed him¬ 
self handsome. I am inclined to think that their ideas 
of personal beauty differ very widely from ours. Tom 
Nogan, the chief’s brother, had a very large, fat, ugly 
squaw for his wife. She was a mountain of tawny flesh ; 
and, but for the innocent, good-natured expression which, 
like a bright sunbeam penetrating a swarthy cloud, 
spread all around a kindly glow, she might have been 
termed hideous. 

This woman they considered very handsome, calling 
her “a fine squaw — clever squaw — a much good 
woman though in what her superiority consisted, I 
never could discover, often as I visited the wigwam. 
She was very dirty, and appeared quite indifferent to 
the claims of common decency (in the disposal of the 
few filthy rags that covered her.) She was, however, 
very expert in all Indian craft. No Jew could drive a 
better bargain than Mrs. Tom; and her urchins, of 
whom she was the happy mother of five or six, were as 
cunning and avaricious as herself. One day she visited 
me, bringing along with her a very pretty covered 
basket for sale. I asked her what she wanted for it, 
but could obtain from her no satisfactory answer. I 
showed her a small piece of silver. She shook her head. 
I tempted her with pork and flour, but she required 
neither. I had just given up the idea of dealing with 
20 


230 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



INDIAN HUNTING DEER. 


her, in despair, when she suddenly seized upon me, and, 
lifting up my gown, pointed exultingly to my quilted 
petticoat, clapping her hands, and laughing immoder¬ 
ately. 

Another time she led me all over the house, to show 
me what she wanted in exchange for basket. My 
patience was well nigh exhausted in following her from 
place to place in her attempt to discover the coveted 
article,, when, hanging upon a peg in my chamber, she 
espied a pair of trowsers belonging to my husband’s 
logging-suit. The riddle was solved. With a joyful 
cry she pointed to them, exclaiming “Take basket.— 
Give them!” It was with no small difficulty that I 
rescued the indispensables from her grasp. 

From this woman I learned a story of Indian cool¬ 
ness and courage which made a deep impression on 
my mind. One of their squaws, a near relation of 
her own, had accompanied her husband on a hunt- 





THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


231 


mg expedition into the forest. He had been very suc¬ 
cessful, and having killed more deer than they could 
well carry home, he went to the house of a white man 
to dispose of some of it, leaving the squaw to take care 
of the rest until his return. She sat carelessly upor 
the log with his hunting-knife in her hand, when she 
heard the breaking of branches near her, and, turning 
round, beheld a great bear only a few paces from her. 

It was too late to retreat; and seeing that the ani¬ 
mal was very hungry, and determined to come to close 
quarters, she rose, and placed her back against a small 
tree, holding her knife close to her breast, and in a 
straight line with the bear. The shaggy monster came 
on. She remained motionless, her eyes steadily fixed 
upon her enemy, and as his huge arms closed around 
her, she slowly drove the knife into his heart. The 
bear uttered a hideous cry, and sank dead at her feet. 
When the Indian returned, he found the courageous 
woman taking the skin from the carcass of the formi¬ 
dable brute. 

The wolf they hold in great contempt, and scarcely 
deign to consider him as an enemy. Peter Nogan as¬ 
sured me that he was never near enough to one in his 
life to shoot it; that, except in large companies, and 
when greatly pressed by hunger, they rarely attack 
men. They hold the lynx, or wolverine, in much 
dread, as they often spring from trees upon their prey, 
fastening upon the throat with their sharp teeth and 
claws, from which a person in the dark could scarcely 
free himself without first receiving a dangerous wound. 
The cry of this animal is very terrifying, resembling 
the shrieks of a human creature in mortal agony. 


232 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


One extremely cold wintry day, as I was huddled with 
my little ones over the stove, the door, softly unclosed, 
and the moccasined foot of an Indian crossed the floor. 
I raised my head, for I was too much accustomed to 
their sudden appearance at any hour to feel alarmed, 
and perceived a tall woman standing silently and re¬ 
spectfully before me, wrapped in a large blanket. The 
moment she caught my eye she dropped the folds of 
her covering from around her, and laid at my feet the 
attenuated figure of a boy, about twelve years of age, 
who was in the last stage of consumption. 

“ Papouse die,” she said, mournfully clasping her 
hands against her breast, and looking down upon the 
suffering lad with the most heartfelt expression of ma¬ 
ternal love, while large tears trickled down her dark 
face. “ Moodie’s squaw save papouse—poor Indian 
woman much glad.” 

Her child was beyond all human aid. I looked 
anxiously upon him, and knew, by the pinched-up fea¬ 
tures and purple hue of his wasted cheek, that he had 
not many hours to live. I could only answer with 
tears her agonizing appeal to my skill. 

“ Try and save him ! All die but him.” (She held 
up five of her fingers.) “ Brought him all the way 
from Mutta Lake* upon my back, for white squaw to 
cure.” 

“ I cannot cure him, my poor friend. He is in 
God’s care; in a few hours he will be with Him. 

The child was seized with a dreadful fit of coughing, 
which I expected every moment would terminate his 


* Mud Lake, or Lake Shemong, in Indian. 



















INDIAN PAPOOSES, 




















































































































































THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


285 


frail existence. I gave him a tea-spoonful of currant 
jelly, which he took with avidity, but could not retain 
a moment on his stomach. 

‘Papouse die,” murmured the poor woman; “ alone 
—alone ! No papouse ; the mother all alone.” 

She began re-adjusting the poor sufferer in her 
blanket. I got her some food, and begged her to stay 
and rest herself; but she was too much distressed tc 
eat, and too restless to remain. She said little, but 
her face expressed the keenest anguish; she took up 
her mournful load, pressed for a moment his wasted, 
burning hand in hers, and left the room. 

My heart followed her a long way on her melan¬ 
choly journey. Think what this woman’s love must 
have been for that dying son, when she had carried a 
lad of his age six miles, through the deep snow, upon 
her back, on such a day, in the hope of my being able 
to do him some good. Poor heart-broken mother ! 1 

learned from Joe Muskrat’s squaw some days after, 
that the boy died a few minutes after Elizabeth Iron, 
his mother, got home. 

They never forget any little act of kindness. One 
cold night, late in the fall, my hospitality was de¬ 
manded by six squaws, and puzzled I was how to ac¬ 
commodate them all. I at last determined to give 
them the use of the parlour floor during the night. 
Among these women there was one very old, whose 
hair was as white as snow. She was the only grey¬ 
haired Indian I ever saw, and on that account I re¬ 
garded her with peculiar interest. I knew that she 
was the wife of a chief, by the scarlet embroidered 
leggings, which only the wives and daughters of chiefs 


236 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


are allowed to wear. The old squaw had a very pleas¬ 
ing countenance, but I tried in vain to draw her into 
conversation. She evidently did not understand me ; 
and the Muskrat squaw, and Betty Cow, were laughing 
at my attempts to draw her out. I administered sup¬ 
per to them with my own hands, and after I had satis¬ 
fied their wants, (which is no very easy task, for they 
have great appetites,) I told our servant to bring in 
several spare mattresses and blankets for their use. 
“ Now mind, Jenny, and give the old squaw the best 
bed,” I said; “ the others are young and can put up 
with a little inconvenience.” 

“ The old Indian glanced at me with her keen, bright 
eye; but I had no idea that she comprehended what I 
said. Some weeks after this, as I was sweeping over 
my parlour floor, a slight tap drew me to the door. 
On opening it I perceived the old squaw, who immedi¬ 
ately slipped into my hand a set of beautifully-em¬ 
broidered bark trays, fitting one within the other, and 
exhibiting the very best sample of the porcupine-quill 
work. While I stood wondering what this might mean, 
the good old creature fell upon my neck, and kissing 
me, exclaimed, “ You remember old squaw—make her 
comfortable ! Old squaw no forget you. Keep them 
for her sake,” and before I could detain her she ran 
down the hill with a swiftness which seemed to bid de¬ 
fiance to years. I never saw this interesting Indian 
again, and I concluded that she died during the win¬ 
ter, for she must have been of a great age. 

Late one very dark, stormy night, three Indians 
begged to be allowed to sleep by the kitchen stove. 
The maid was frightened out of her wits at the sight 


THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


237 


of these strangers, who were Mohawks from the Indian 
woods upon the Bay of Quinte, and they brought along 
with them a horse and cutter., The night was so 
stormy, that, after consulting our man—Jacob Faith¬ 
ful, as we usually called him—I consented to grant 
their petition, although they were quite strangers, and 
taller and fiercer-looking than our friends the Missas- 
aguas. 

“ I was putting my children to bed, when the girl 
came rushing in, out of breath. “ The Lord preserve 
us, madam, if one of these wild men has not pulled off 
his trowsers, and is a-sitting mending them behind the 
stove ! and what shall I do?” 

“ Do ?—why, stay with me, and leave the poor fel 
low to finish his work.” 

The simple girl had never once thought of this plan 
of pacifying her outraged sense of propriety. 

Their sense of hearing is so acute that they can dis¬ 
tinguish sounds at an incredible distance, which cannot 
be detected by a European at all. I myself witnessed 
a singular exemplification of this fact. It was mid¬ 
winter ; the Indians had pitched their tent, or wigwam, 
as usual, in our swamp. All the males were absent on 
a hunting expedition up the country, and had left two 
women behind to take care of the camp and its contents, 
Mrs. Tom Nogan and her children, and Susan Moore, 
a young girl of fifteen, and the only truly beautiful 
squaw I ever saw. There was something interesting 
about this girl’s history, as well as her appearance. 
Her father had been drowned during a sudden hurri¬ 
cane, which swamped his canoe on Stony Lake; and 
the mother, who witnessed the accident from the shore. 


238 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


and was near her confinement with this child, boldly 
swam out to his assistance. She reached the spot 
where he sank, and even succeeded in recovering the 
body; but it was too late; the man was dead. 

The soul of an Indian that has been drowned is 
reckoned accursed, and he is never permitted to join 
his tribe on the happy hunting-grounds, but his spirit 
haunts the lake or river in which he lost his life. His 
body is buried on some lonely island, which the Indians 
never pass without leaving a small portion of food, 
tobacco, or ammunition, to supply his wants; but he 
is never interred with the rest of his people. His chil¬ 
dren are considered unlucky, and few willingly unite 
themselves to the females of the family, lest a portion 
of the father’s curse should be visited on them. 

The orphan Indian girl generally kept aloof from 
the rest, and seemed so lonely and companionless, that 
she soon attracted my attention and sympathy, and a 
hearty feeling of good-will sprang up between us. Her 
features were small and regular, her face oval, and 
her large, dark, loving eyes were full of tenderness and 
sensibility, but as bright and shy as those of the deer. 
A rich vermilion glow burnt upon her olive cheek and 
lips, and set off the dazzling whiteness of her even and 
pearly teeth. She was small of stature, with delicate 
little hands and feet, and her figure was elastic and 
graceful. She was a beautiful child of nature, and her 
Indian name signified “the voice of angry waters.” 
Poor girl, she had been a child of grief and tears from 
her birth! Her mother was a Mohawk, from whom 
6he, in all probability, derived her superior personal 





' 




V 
















INDIAN WIGWAMS 













































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































*s . 




« 


















%■ U 








* 









THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


241 


attractions; for they are very far before the Missasa- 
guas in this respect. 

My friend and neighbour, Emilia S-, the wife of 

a naval officer, who lived about a mile distant from me, 
through the hush, had come to spend the day with me; 
and hearing that the Indians were in the swamp, and 
the men away, we determined to take a few trifles to 
the camp, in the way of presents, and spend an hour 
in chatting with the squaws. 

What a beautiful moonlight night it was, as light as 
day !—the great forest sleeping tranquilly beneath the 
cloudless heavens—not a sound to disturb the deep 
repose of nature but the whispering of the breeze, 
which, during the most profound calm, creeps through 
the lofty pine tops. We bounded down the steep bank 
to the lake shore. Life is a blessing, a precious boon 
indeed, in such an hour, and we felt happy in the mere 
conciousness of existence—the glorious privilege of 
pouring out the silent adoration of the heart to the 
Great Father in his universal temple. 

On entering the wigwam, which stood within a few 
yards of the clearing, in the middle of a thick group 
of cedars, we found Mrs. Tom alone with her elvish 
children, seated before the great fire that burned in the 
centre of the camp ; she was busy boiling some bark in 
an iron spider. The little boys, in red flannel shirts, 
which were their only covering, were tormenting a 
puppy, which seemed to take their pinching and pom¬ 
melling in good part, for it neither attempted to bark 
nor to bite, but like the eels in the story, submitted to 
the infliction because it was used to it. Mrs. Tom 
greeted us with a grin of pleasure, and motioned us to 


242 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


sit down upon a buffalo skin, which, with a courtesy so 
natural to the Indians, she had placed near her for our 
accommodation. 

“You are all alone,” said I, glancing round the 
camp. 

“ Ye’es; Indian away hunting- -Upper Lakes. Come 
home with much deer.” 

“ And Susan, where is she ?” 

“By and by,” (meaning that she was coming). 
“Gone to fetch water—ice thick—chop with axe— 
take long time.” 

As she ceased speaking, the old blanket that formed 
the door of the tent was withdrawn, and the girl, bear¬ 
ing two pails of water, stood in the open space, in the 
white moonlight. The glow of the fire streamed upon 
her dark, floating locks, danced in the black, glisten¬ 
ing eye, and gave a deeper blush to the olive cheek! 
She would have made a beautiful picture; Sir Joshua 
Reynolds would have rejoiced in such a model—so 
simply graceful and unaffected, the very beau idSal 
of savage life and unadorned nature. A smile of 
recognition passed between us. She put down her 
burden beside Mrs. Tom, and noiselessly glided to 
her seat. 

We had scarcely exchanged a few words with our 
favourite, when the old squaw, placing her hand against 
her ear, exclaimed, “ Whist! whist!” 

“ What is it ?” cried Emilia and I, starting to our 
feet. “ Is there any danger ?” 

“ A deer—a deer—in bush !” whispered the squaw, 
seizing a rifle that stood in a corner. “ I hear sticks 
crack—a great way oft'. Stay here !” 


THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


243 


A great way off the animal must have been, for 
though Emilia and I listened at the open door, an ad¬ 
vantage which the squaw did not enjoy, we could not 
hear the least sound: all seemed still as death. The 
squaw whistled to an old hound, and went out. 

“ Did you hear any thing, Susan ?” 

She smiled, and nodded. 

“ Listen ; the dog has found the track.” 

The next moment the discharge of a rifle, and the 
deep baying of the dog, woke up the sleeping echoes 
of the woods; and the girl started off to help the old 
squaw to bring in the game that she had shot. 

The Indians are great imitators, and possess a nice 
tact in adopting the customs and manners of those with 
whom they associate. An Indian is Nature’s gentleman 
—never familiar, coarse, or vulgar. If he take a meal 
with you, he waits to see how you make use of the 
implements on the table, and the manner in which you 
eat, which he imitates with a grave de.corum, as if he 
had been accustomed to the same usages from child¬ 
hood. He never attempts to help himself, or demand 
more food, but waits patiently until you perceive what 
he requires. I was perfectly astonished at this innate 
politeness, for it seems natural to all the Indians with 
whom I have had any dealings. 

There was one old Indian, who belonged to *a dis 
tant settlement, and only visited our lakes occasionally 
on hunting parties. He was a strange, eccentric, meny 
old fellow, with a skin like red mahogany, and a wiry, 
sinewy frame, that looked as if it could bid defiance to 
every change of temperature. Old Snow-storm, for 
such was his significant name, was rather too fond of 


244 


PERILOUS ADVE-MUKE3. 



OLD SNOW-STORM AND THE WHISKEY-BOTTLE. 


the whiskey-bottle, and when he had taken a drop too 
much, he became an unmanageable wild beast. He 
had a great fancy for my husband, and never visited 
the other Indians without extending the same favour 
to us. Once upon a time, he broke the nipple of his 
gun ; and Moodie repaired the injury for him by fixing 
a new one in its place, which little kindness quite won 
the heart of the old man, and he never came to see us 






























THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


245 


without bringing an offering of fish, ducks, partridges, 
or venison, to show his gratitude. 

One warm September day, he made his appearance 
bare-headed, as usual, and carrying in his hand a great 
checked bundle. 

“Fond of grapes?” said he, putting the said bundle 
into my hands. “Fine grapes—brought them from 
island, for my friend’s squaw and papouses.” 

Glad of the donation, which I considered quite a 
prize, I hastened into the kitchen to untie the grapes 
and put them into a dish. But imagine my disappoint¬ 
ment, when I found them wrapped up in a soiled shirt, 
only recently taken from the back of the owner. I 
called Moodie, and begged him to return Snow-Storm 
his garment, and to thank him for the grapes. 

The mischievous creature was highly diverted with 
the circumstance, and laughed immoderately. 

“ Snow-Storm,” said he, “ Mrs. Moodie and the 
children are obliged to you for your kindness in bring¬ 
ing them the grapes ; but how came you to tie them up 
in a dirty shirt ?” 

“Dirty!” cried the old man, astonished that we 
should object to the fruit on that score. “ It ought to 
be clean; it has been washed often enough. Owgh! 
You see, Moodie,” he continued, “ I have no hat— 
never wear hat—want no shade to my eyes—love the 
sun—see all around me—up and down—much better 
widout hat. Could not put grapes in hat—blanket- 
coat too large, crush fruit, juice run out. I had noting 
but my shirt, so I takes off shirt, and brings grape safe 
over the water on my back. Papouse no care for dirty 
shirt; their lee-tle bellies have no eyes” 

21 * 



246 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


In spite of this eloquent harangue, I could not bring 
myself to use the grapes, ripe and tempting as they 

looked, or give them to the children. Mr. W-and 

his wife happening to step in at that moment, fell into 
such an ecstacy at the sight of the grapes, that, as they 
were perfectly unacquainted with the circumstance of 
the shirt, I very generously gratified their wishes by 
presenting them with the contents of the large dish; 
and they never ate a bit less sweet for the novel mode 
in which they were conveyed to me! 

The Indians, under their quiet exterior, possess a 
deal of humour. They have significant names for 
every thing, and a nickname for every one, and some 
of the latter are laughably appropriate. A fat, pomp¬ 
ous, ostentatious, settler in our neighbourhood they 
called Muckakee , “ the bull-frog.” Another, rather a 
fine young man, but with a very red face, they named 
&'egoskee, “ the rising sun.” Mr. Wood, who had a 
farm above ours, was a remarkably slender young man, 
and to him they gave the appellation of Metiz , “ thin 
stick.” A woman, that occasionally worked for me, 
had a disagreeable squint; she was known in Indian by 
the name of Sachabo , “ cross-eye.” A gentleman with 
a very large nose was Ohoojas , “big, or ugly nose.” 
My little Addie, who was a fair, lovely creature, they 
viewed with great approbation, and called Anoonk , “ a 
star;” while the rosy Katie was Nogesigook , “the 
northern lights.” As to me, I was Nonocosique , a 
“ humming-bird;” a ridiculous name for a tall woman, 
but it had reference to the delight I took in painting 
birds. My friend, Emilia, was “ blue cloud;” my 
little Donald, “frozen face;” young C-, “the red- 



THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


247 


headed woodpecker,” from the colour of his hair; my 
brother, Chippeiva , and “ the bald-headed eagle.” He 
was an especial favourite among them. 

The Indians are often made a prey of, and cheated 
by the unprincipled settlers, who think it no crime to 
overreach a red skin. One anecdote will fully illus¬ 
trate this fact. A young squaw, who was near becom¬ 
ing a mother, stopped at a Smith-town settler’s house 
to rest herself. The woman of the house, who was 
Irish, was peeling for dinner some large white turnips, 
which her husband had grown in their garden. The 
Indian had never seen a turnip before, and the appear¬ 
ance of the firm, white, juicy root gave her such a keen 
craving to taste it that she very earnestly begged for 
a small piece to eat. She had purchased at Peter¬ 
borough a large stone-china bowl, of a very handsome 
pattern, (or, perhaps, got it at the store in exchange 
for a basket ,) the worth of which might be half-a-dollar. 
If the poor squaw longed for the turnip, the value of 
which could scarcely reach a copper, the covetous 
European had fixed as longing a glance upon the china 
bowl, and she was determined to gratify her avaricious 
desire and obtain it on the most easy terms. She told 
the squaw, with some disdain, that her man did not 
grow turnips to give away to “Injuns,” but she would 
sell her one. The squaw offered her four coppers, all 
the change she had about her. This the woman 
refused with contempt. She then proffered a basket; 
but that was not sufficient; nothing would satisfy her 
but the bowl. The Indian demurred; but opposition 
had only increased her craving for the turnip in a ten¬ 
fold degree; and, after a short mental struggle, in 


248 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


which the animal propensity overcame the warning of 
prudence, the squaw gave up the bowl, and received 
in return one turnip! The daughter of this woman 
told me this anecdote of her mother as a very clever 
thing. What ideas some people have of moral justice ! 

I have said before that the Indian never forgets a 
kindness. We had a thousand proofs of this, when, 
overtaken by misfortune, and withering beneath the 
iron grasp of poverty, we could scarcely obtain bread 
for ourselves and our little ones; then it was that the 
truth of the Eastern proverb was brought home to our 
hearts, and the goodness of God fully manifested 
towards us, “ Cast thy bread upon the water, and thou 
shalt find it after many days.” During better times 
we had treated these poor savages with kindness and 
liberality, and when dearer friends looked coldly upon 
us they never forsook us. Eor many a good meal I 
have been indebted to them, when I had nothing to 
give in return, when the pantry was empty, and “ the 
hearth-stone growing cold,” as they term the want of 
provisions to cook at it. And their delicacy in con¬ 
ferring these favours was not the least admirable part 
of their conduct. John Nogan, who was much attached 
to us, would bring a fine bunch of ducks, and drop 
them at my feet “for the papouse,” or leave a large 
muskinonge on the sill of the door, or place a quarter 
f venison just within it, and slip away without saying 
a word, thinking that receiving a present from a poor 
Indian might hurt our feelings, and he would spare us 
the mortification of returning thanks. 

When an Indian loses one of his children, he must 
keep a strict fast for three days, abstaining from food 


THE INDIANS OF CANADA 


249 



HANDSOME JACK AND MB. YOUNG 


of any kind. A hunter, of the name of Young, tcfld 
me a curious story of their rigid observance of this 
strange rite. 



































250 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


“They had a chief,” he said, “a few years ago, 
whom they called ‘ Handsome Jack’—whether in deri 
sion, I cannot tell, for he was one of the ugliest Indians 
I ever saw. The scarlet fever got into the camp—a 
terrible disease in this country, and doubly terrible to 
those poor creatures who don’t know how to treat it. 
His eldest daughter died. The chief had fasted two 
days when I met him in the bush. I did not know 
what had happened, but I opened my wallet, for I was 
on a hunting expedition, and offered him some bread 
and dried venison. He looked at me reproachfully. 

“ 4 Do white men eat bread the first night their 
papouse is laid in the earth ?’ 

“ I then knew the cause of his depression, and left 
him.” 

On the night of the second day of his fast another 
child died of the fever. He had now to accomplish 
three more days without tasting food. . It was too much 
even for an Indian. On the evening of the fourth, he 
was so pressed by ravenous hunger, that he stole into 
the woods, caught a bull-frog, and devoured it alive. 
He imagined himself alone, but one of his people, sus¬ 
pecting his intention, had followed him, unperceived, to 
the bush. The act he had just committed was a hide¬ 
ous crime in their eyes, and in a few minutes the camp 
was in an uproar. The chief fled for protection to 
Young’s house. When the hunter demanded the cause 
of his alarm, he gave for answer, “ There are plenty 
of flies at my house. To avoid their stings I came 
to you.” 

It required all the eloquence of Mr. Young, who 


THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 251 

enjoyed much popularity among them, to reconcile the 
rebellious tribe to their chief. 

They are very skilful in their treatment of wounds, 
and many diseases. Their knowledge of the medi¬ 
cinal qualities of their plants and herbs is very great. 
They make excellent poultices from the bark of the 
bass and the slippery-elm. They use several native 
plants in their dyeing of baskets and porcupine quills. 
The inner bark of the swamp-alder, simply boiled in 
water, makes a beautiful red. From the root of the 
black briony they obtain a fine salve for sores, and ex¬ 
tract a rich yellow dye. The inner bark of the root 
of the sumach, roasted, and reduced to powder, is a 
good remedy for the ague ; a tea-spoonful given between 
the hot and cold fit. They scrape the fine white 
powder from the large fungus that grows upon the bark 
of the pine into whiskey, and take it for violent pains 
in the stomach. The taste of this powder strongly re¬ 
minded me of quinine. 

I have read much of the excellence of Indian cookery, 
but I never could bring myself to taste any thing pre¬ 
pared in their dirty wigwams. I remember being 
highly amused in watching the preparation of a mess, 
which might have been called Indian hotch-potch. It 
consisted of a strange mixture of fish, flesh, and fowl, 
all boiled together in the same vessel. Ducks, par¬ 
tridges, muskinonge, venison, and muskrats, formed a 
part of this delectable compound. These were literally 
smothered in onions, potatoes, and turnips, which they 
had procured from me. They very hospitably offered 
me a dishful of the odious mixture, which the odour of 
the muskrats rendered every thing but savoury; but I 


252 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


declined, simply stating that I was not hungry. My 
little boy tasted it, but quickly left the camp to con¬ 
ceal the effect it produced upon him. 

Their method of broiling fish, however, is excellent. 
They take a fish, just fresh out of the water, cut out 
the entrails, and, without removing the scales, wash it 
clean, dry it in a cloth, or in grease, and cover it all 
over with clear hot ashes. When the flesh will part 
from the bone, they draw it out of the ashes, strip 
off the skin, and it is fit for the table of the most fasti¬ 
dious epicure. 

The deplorable want of chastity that exists among 
the Indian women of this tribe seems to have been 
more the result of their intercourse with the settlers in 
the country than from any previous disposition to this 
vice. The jealousy of their husbands has often been 
exercised in a terrible manner against the offending 
squaws; but this has not happened of late years. The 
men wink at these derelictions in their wives, and 
share with them the price of their shame. 

The mixture of European blood adds greatly to the 
physical beauty of the half-race, but produces a sad 
falling off from the original integrity of the Indian 
character. The half-caste is generally a lying, vicious 
rogue, possessing the worst qualities of both parents in 
an eminent degree. We have many of these half- 
Indians in the penitentiary, for crimes of the blackest 
dye. 

The skill of the Indian in procuring his game, either 
by land or water, has been too well described by better 
writers than I could ever hope to be, to need any illus¬ 
tration from my pen, and I will close this long chapter 



















































































X -T 




























































• k- • ' 
















7 • K - • 4 i 1 





































THE INDIANS OF CANADA. 


255 


with a droll anecdote which is told of a gentleman in 
this neighbourhood. 

The early loss of his hair obliged Mr. -to pro¬ 

cure the substitute of a wig. This was such a good 
imitation of nature, that none but his intimate friends 
and neighbours were aw.are of the fact. It happened 
that he had had some quarrel with an Indian, which had 
to be settled in one of the petty courts. The case was 

decided in favour of Mr. -, which so aggrieved the 

savage, who considered himself the injured party, that 
he sprang upon him with a furious yell, tomahawk in 
hand, with the intention of depriving him of his scalp. 
He twisted his hand in the locks which adorned the 
cranium of his adversary, when—horror of horrors!— 
the treacherous wig came off in his hand, “ Owgh! 
owgh!” exclaimed the affrighted savage, flinging it 
from him, and rushing from the court as if he had been 
bitten by a rattlesnake. His sudden exit was followed 

by peals of laughter from the crowd, while Mr. - 

coolly picked up his wig, and dryly remarked that it 
had saved his head. 





ENCOUNTER WITH THE BANDITTI AND 
SMUGGLERS OF ANDALUSIA. 


ORD PORCHESTER, in his Notes to 
the Poem of the Moor, gives the follow¬ 
ing account of a meeting with the fa¬ 
mous banditti of Andalusia : 

Hearing that a caravan was but a 
mile in advance, we gallopped forward 
and joined it as it entered the forest. We soon after¬ 
wards heard a cry of robbers, and were shown three 
men in the wood, leaning on their guns, whom our 
companions recognised as forming members of the 
great banditti, whose numbers, I suspect, had been 
much exaggerated. Protected by the caravan, I felt 
some curiosity to see the highwayman of Andalusia ; 
who, like the legitimate smuggler, was distinguished 
by a particular dress, was mounted on the high-necked 
horse of the country, and had some redeeming points 
in his character ; he w r as seldom known to commit 
murder, or inflict any personal outrage, except in cases 
of continued resistance ; and affected, in the full exer¬ 
cise of his vocation, a lofty courtesy of manner, and a 
contempt for sordid details: but these men were not 
mounted, and were not remarkable for any peculiarity 
of appearance. 

1256 ) 



ENCOUNTER WITH BANDITTI AND SMUGGLERS. 257 

We crossed the Xenil, and arrived with the caravan, 
as night set in, at the Posada of Benamegi, where we 
collected, as usual, round the great fire. As we retired 
to our apartment, we offered our companions some 
wine, which they received with haughty reluctance, 
and were not satisfied till we had pledged them in their 
cup and broken their bread; but they afterwards came 
to our room, shook hands 'warmly with us, and en¬ 
treated us to join their party on the next morning. On 
the following day, Pusey and myself left Benamegi at 
an early hour. The mountains of Ruti and Priego 
rose magnificently before us, and rested in the bright 
beams of the morning: we passed along some very 
craggy paths, and arrived about the middle of the day 
at Lucena. We found the inn crowded with smugglers, 
who conversed freely with us, and sold their goods 
without any affectation of concealment: their dress 
was handsome and their manner civil, which was not 
invariably the case at that period. Before the revo¬ 
lution, the Spanish smugglers formed a distinct class, 
that retained, with much originality of character, cer¬ 
tain defined principles, and an established code of 
honour, upon which they professed to act. By this 
code, all robbery except the plunder of the revenue was 
highly censured, unless it took place under very peculiar 
circumstances. In traversing the country, they dis¬ 
charged their daily reckonings with exactness, and 
often with generosity; and, in spite of their illicit oc¬ 
cupations, showed the most incorruptible fidelity to¬ 
wards persons who placed themselves under their pro¬ 
tection or relied on their honour. Such principles were 
recognised, if not acted upon, by every individual who 
22 * 


258 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 

became a member of the fraternity; and continued, 
more or less, in force, while the number remained 
limited; but when the change that was operated in 
the commercial policy of Spain had given a violent 
stimulus to the illicit trade, a new class of smugglers 
suddenly arose, unformed by previous habits, and 
solely created by the demand for foreign merchandise; 
which, in consequence of the new regulations, could no 
longer be supplied by the regular channels. This new 
class had no restraining points of pride, and becoming 
alternately smuggler and robber, they plundered the 
revenue, and oppressed the people ; but a marked dis¬ 
tinction existed in the public mind, and a bitter feud 
prevailed between the old and the new race. 










MEETING AN ICEBERG IN THE NORTHERN 
OCEAN. 

HE following account of a meeting with 
a gigantic iceberg in the Arctic sea, is 
given by the author of “ Two years be 
fore the Mast 

At twelve o’clock we went below; 
and had just got through dinner, when 
the cook put his head down the scuttle, and told us to 
come on deck and see the finest sight that we had ever 
seen. “ Where away, cook?” asked the first man who 
was up. “ On the larboard bow.” And there lay 
floating in the ocean, several miles off, an immense ir¬ 
regular mass, its top and points covered with snow, and 
its centre of a deep indigo colour. This was an ice¬ 
berg, and one of the largest size, as one of our men 
said, who had been in the Northern Ocean. 

As far as the eye could reach, the sea in every di¬ 
rection was of a deep blue colour, the waves running 
high and fresh, and sparkling in the light; and in the 
midst lay this immense mountain-island, its cavities and 
valleys thrown into deep shade, and its points and pin¬ 
nacles glittering in the sun. All hands were soon on 
deck, looking at it, and admiring in various ways its 
beauty and grandeur. But no description can give 





260 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


any idea of the strangeness, splendour, and, really, the 
sublimity of the sight. Its great size—for it must 
have been from two to three miles in circumference, 
and several hundred feet in height; its slow motion, as 
its base rose and sank in the water, and its high points 
nodded against the clouds; the dashing of the waves 
upon it, which, breaking high with foam, lined its base 
with a high crust; and the thundering sound of the 
cracking of the mass, and the breaking and tumbling 
down of huge pieces ; together with its nearness and 
approach, which added a slight element of fear—all 
combined to give it the character of true sublimity. 
The main body of the mass was, as I have said, of an 
indigo colour, its base crusted with frozen foam ; and as 
it grew thin and transparent towards the edges and 
top, its colour shaded off from a deep blue to the white¬ 
ness of snow. It seemed to be drifting slowly towards 
the north, so that we kept away and avoided it. It 
was in sight all the afternoon ; and when we got to 
leeward of it, the wind died away, so that we lay-to 
quite near it for a greater part of the night. Unfor¬ 
tunately there was no moon ; but it was a clear night, 
and we could plainly mark the long regular heaving 
of the stupendous mass as its edges moved slowly 
against the stars. Several times in our watch loud 
cracks were heard, which sounded as though they must 
have run through the whole length of the iceberg and 
several pieces fell down with a thundering crash, 
plunging heavily into the sea. Towards morning a 
strong breeze sprang up, and we filled away and left it 

astern, and at daylight it was out of sight.No 

pencil has ever yet given any thing like the true effect 


MEETING AN ICEBERG IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 261 

of an iceberg. In a picture they are huge uncouth 
masses stuck in the sea; while their chief beauty and 
grandeur—their slow stately motion, the whirling of 
the snow about their summits, and the fearful groaning 
and cracking of their parts—the picture cannot give. 
This is the large iceberg ; while the small and distant 
islands, floating on the smooth sea in the light of a 
clear day, look like little floating fairy isles of sap¬ 
phire. 






















CIRCASSIANS. ' 


ADVENTURES IN CIRCASSIA. 

IEUTENANT ' C0L0NEL °* P0U - 
" ^ ' LETT CAMERON, K. F. S. etc., 

who was employed on a special ser¬ 
vice in Persia, in 1838, published a 
narrative of his adventures after his 
return, from which we make the fol¬ 
lowing extracts:— 



We bowled gaily and gallantly along, the time being 
enlivened by the mimic conflicts of our escort, whose 
dexterity in the management of their horses and arms 
was most admirable, and scarcely to be surpassed. A 
period of rather less than two hours brought us to the 











ADVENTURES IN CIRCASSIA. 


263 


scene of our intended festivity. A spot more singularly 
wild, picturesque, and beautiful it is impossible to 
imagine. It was a kind of glade, being one among 
many situated on an extent of turf, which, for smooth¬ 
ness and colour, seemed to rival the finest velvet, 
divided by one of the small, yet tempestuous and foam¬ 
ing, streams of the mountains. To our right rose the 
magnificent and majestic Elborooz, towering in the 
midst of its eternal snows, like some mighty despot in 
'the midst of his satellites,—so comparatively insignifi¬ 
cant, when placed in juxtaposition appeared the lofty 
range of. the Caucasus. 

It was late, and the moon had risen before our party 
separated, being much tired, yet infinitely more de¬ 
lighted with our excursion. As the night was uncom¬ 
monly clear, and the caravan pace we should have been 
obliged to keep at, in the event of our returning in the 
same manner we came, was by no means to the taste 
of either my companion (Captain V-of the Grena¬ 

diers of the Imperial Guard) or myself, I proposed our 
at once proceeding onward,—to which on his readily 
acquiescing, I directed the coachman to push on, who, 
accordingly, had whipped his horses into a gallop, when 
the officer commanding the escort, called to him to 
stop. 

This gentleman, on approaching the carriage, remon¬ 
strated, in the strongest terms, upon our proceeding 
alone, when parties of the mountaineers were known to 
be hovering near. We thanked him for his considera¬ 
tion and politeness, but informing him, as we mustered 
six persons, well armed, (my two Persian domestics 
being in the rumble behind, with my friend’s valet, in 


264 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


addition to the coachman and ourselves,) we had not 
the least apprehension, he very reluctantly allowed us 
to proceed on our way to the town, where we arrived 
without the slightest accident,—although, at a turning 
in the road, as we came full upon it, we could not for¬ 
bear detaining the carriage eight or ten minutes, to 
gaze once more upon the old patriarch, Elborooz, shi¬ 
ning in the clear moonlight, his whole appearance being 
rendered, if possible, more majestic and imposing at 
this time than by day. 

The principal of the five mountains from which the 
town of Piatigorsk takes its name, is the “Maschouka,” 
about five and twenty or thirty yards up the ascent of 
which is the mouth of a gouffre, or cavern, possessed 
of a reputation by no means the most favourable with 
the whole of the neighbouring population, whether Rus¬ 
sian, Circassian, Cossack, or Tartar, it being known by 
the ominous cognomen of the “ Sheitan Munzilee,” a 
word in the latter language signifying the Devil’s 
abode. Several of my Russian friends had long thought 
of the possibility of exploring it; and it was at length 

proposed by Captain Y-to the Count de L-, a 

nobleman of illustrious family, an officer of chasseurs, 
and myself to make the attempt. Accordingly, having 
devoted some days for the purpose of more minutely 
surveying the gouffre, and making the requisite arrange¬ 
ments on the 27th July, the latter being completed, we 
resolved to undertake the adventure, and accompanied 
by the Prince de G-, and several other friends, pro¬ 

ceeded to the spot. 

The entrance of the cavern formed a circumference of 
about fifty feet, while its perpendicular descent, we were 




ADVENTURES IN CIRCASSIA. 


265 


afterwards led to believe, varying from three hundred to 
three hundred and twenty, and occasionally narrowing 
and increasing in width, offered no impediment in its 
course downwards to the bottom, which we could observe 
formed a sheet of water apparently covering the whole. 
Having constructed a platform on the edge, surmounted 
with two thick poles and a traverse beam, a strong coil of 
rope w as rove through a pulley in the centre of the latter 
to the end of which was attached a stick, which, placed 
between the legs, would form a support in the descent. 

In some measure to ascertain the depth of the water, 
we disengaged a heavy fragment of rock, and let it fall 
—a heavy, sullen plunge succeeded, evidently betoken¬ 
ing the water to be of some depth. We now com¬ 
menced our preparations, and having cast lots to decide 

who should commence, it fell upon Count de L-. 

To guard against the possibility of meeting any trouble¬ 
some occupants, who might be disposed to resent this 
sudden and unexpected invasion of their subterranean 
abode, each took the precaution of being provided with 
pistols, and the formidable Circassian kummur,* or 
short sword. 


* The Circassians carry two swords, the one, a long, straight 
sabre, being much the same description of blade as that carried in 
our regiments of light cavalry, and is chiefly used when on horse¬ 
back; the other in length, make, and breadth closely resembling 
the old Roman sword, which, indeed, many antiquaries suppose to 
be altogether the same. The last is slung in their girdle toward 
the left side, and in their close conflicts with the Russian infantry, 
is the weapon most particularly dreaded, from the dexterity with 
which it is wielded, one single stroke sufficing in general to sever 
the limb it encounters, while from the stab it inflicts recovery ia 
almost utterly hopeless. 


23 



266 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


All being ready, a small but strong raft, with a 
couple of paddles, was lowered down, and the Count 
taking a pistol from his belt to be held in readiness, 
quickly followed; it was a nervous spectacle, but after 
some minutes of suspense, we had the satisfaction of 
seeing the gallant nobleman reach the platform in 
safety. 

It was now my turn,—I had commenced the descent, 
and was about a third of the way down, when an inci¬ 
dent occurred which had well nigh left me the task of 
adorning instead of telling a tale, and which arose from 
one of the three Russian soldiers who had charge of 
the rope venturing to look over the ledge, when, terri¬ 
fied at the fancied peril of my situation, or rendered 
giddy by gazing from the height, he fell back upon his 
companions, to whom he appeared to communicate his 
own terrors, when they all at once let slip the rope, 
which spun through the block with tremendous velocity. 
I shouted at the utmost pitch of my voice, but fortu¬ 
nately my friend V- perceived the danger, ajid 

springing forward, seized hold of the cord, and by his 
voice and example brought the men to their senses. I 
was thus fortunately enabled to reach the bottom in 
safety. 

It required but two minutes, as soon as we could 
distinctly discern what was around us, to perceive that 
our adventure scarce repaid the risk we had encount¬ 
ered, and was here terminated; as, on being joined by 
V-, and having ferried round the entire circumfer¬ 

ence, no further signs of any outlet appeared visible, 
the sides being a mass of solid rock, while the only 
inhabitants were a myriad of bats, and some half a 





CIRCASSIAN HORSEMANSHIP. 







































































































































ADVENTURES IN CIRCASSIA. 


269 


dozen owls, the latter of whom seemed to view our 
unexpected intrusion with an air of offended dignity 
and indignation. The water was as bright and cleai 
as crystal, and seemed so equally impregnated with 
sulphur and salt, that neither of us could determine 
which of these minerals seemed most to predominate. 

After passing about a quarter of an hour in our sub¬ 
terranean abode, we made the signal to be drawn up; 
and thus terminated our adventure, the news of which, 
I know not why, but, in all probability, from the 
exaggerated description of the ‘dangers attending it, 
caused a considerable sensation among all classes at 
the time; so much so, that on its reaching the ears of 
the commander-in-chief, the considerate and highly dis¬ 
tinguished General Grabb&, to guard against any other 
person attempting it a second time, he sent peremptory 
orders for all our apparatus for effecting it to be de¬ 
stroyed, and forbidding any similar construction for 
such a purpose in future. 

A party of ten or twelve of us were out enjoying the 
pleasures of the chase, and carried away by the ardour 
of the sport, we felt but little disposed to listen to the 
remonstrances of one or two of the more prudent among 
our number, who more than once reminded us we had 
got far beyond the Russian line, and were full ten or 
twelve versts in the enemy’s country. On we went, 
however, scampering through the rich valleys, and up 
and down the various hills, till after several hours, our 
horses being pretty well jaded, and ourselves rendered 
extremely hungry, we halted for some time at a small 
grove, on the brow of a hill, commanding an extensive 
view of the superb scenery in our front, which, occa- 
23* 


270 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


sionally broken in upon by knots of trees, and rising, 
undulating mounds, seemed one continued carpet of 
green verdure. 

In the course of half an hour some of the party were 
again mounted, others were engaged in tightening their 
girths, while some had not even yet finished the more 
important duties in which their masticatory organs were 
still employed, when two or three of the former, who 
had ridden half-way down, and were gazing on the 
scene before them, all at once wheeled their horses 
round, and with considerable dismay painted in their 
countenances, and calling out, au grand galop , les mon - 
tagnards , darted down the opposite side of the hill, in 
which they were quickly followed by all the rest, with 

the exception of L-i and myself,'the delay on my 

part being occasioned, in the first place, by my very 
imperfectly understanding what had been the cause of 
this sudden confusion; and again, being at the same mo¬ 
ment occupied in arranging the saddle girths, while the 
attention of my companion was more seriously bent 
upon a large sandwich, and a pint bottle of Champagne, 
in the diligent discussion of which he was employed at 
the time. 

Our delay seemed to cause considerable impatience^ 
and not a few execrations on the part of our compa¬ 
nions, who of course, could not leave us behind, and one 
of them, a short, stout, corpulent, elderly gentleman, 
immediately rode back, and darting an angry glance 
at me, bitterly reproached my companion for his hair¬ 
brained folly, in thus hazarding the lives of the whole 
party by his dilatory supineness. We, however, soon 
mounted, and on rejoining the party, and inquiring 








- 












* 








A COSSACK. 




















































































































































ADVENTURES IN CIRCASSIA. 


273 


into the cause of this sudden confusion, were at once 
informed, that about three or four hundred yards imme¬ 
diately in our front, twelve or fifteen men were ob¬ 
served stealthily gliding from one cluster of under¬ 
wood to another. 

All were now turned for instant flight, when, raising 
my voice, I pointed out the consequences of such an ill- 
advised measure, since, if the persons who had been 
seen possessed any hostile intention, they would soon 
overtake us, their horses being much fresher than ours, 
and their numbers, in all probability, ten times" as 
numerous; that from the greater part of us wearing 
the costume of the country, it was impossible at that 
distance, for them to ascertain whether we were a party 
of Cossacks of the Line, or a detachment from their 
own body, but that the slightest signs of flight on our 
part, would at once determine our real character, and 
give the signal for an immediate pursuit. I further 
suggested, that our best course of proceeding would be 
to descend to the valley at the foot of the hill, which, 
by an even, though circuitous course, led direct to the 
town and post of Kislavosk, and which wojild sometimes 
expose us to, but more generally exclude us from the 
view of our opponents, between whom and ourselves, 
by moving along at a slow trot, we should then place 
some distance, without blowing our horses, should they 
feel inclined to pursue; till, having fairly got a good 
start, and successive hills having wholly closed all sight 
of us from those in our rear, we could then ply whip 
and spur, and try who could soonest verify the old 
proverb of, “ devil take the hindmost.” 

This advice, which was warmly seconded by L-i 


274 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


and several others, was finally agreed to, and we com¬ 
menced our retreat, not without sundry misgivings, and 
frequent turnings of the head over the shoulder from 
the whole party; when, having gained our vantage 
ground without any pursuit or molestation, off we 
started flying like the wind, keeping, as the old saying 
has it, “ one spur in, and the other never outthe 
whole bringing most forcibly to my remembrance an 
exactly similar scene that had occurred once in life to 
me before, in which a part of the force I belonged to, 
having succeeded in getting into an ambuscade, those 
possessed of swift horses, strong arms, and good luck, 
succeeded in clearing their way through, the survivors 
merely leaving three-fourths of their original number 
behind them. 

Better fortune, however, attended us this time, as 
we reached Kislavosk without the slightest danger, 
except what resulted from the various mountain streams 
which crossed us in our flight, and which, in som? 
places of great depth, and running with extreme vio¬ 
lence, were not passed without some hazard, though so 
admirably traiped were our gallant chargers, that no 
other inconvenience was the result, than an occasional 
cold bath to our lower extremities, reaching, however, 
at times up to the breast. 



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TRAVELLING IN TURKEY. 
































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ENCOUNTER WITH ROBBERS IN TURKEY. 

HE Rev. Horatio Southgate, a min¬ 
ister of the American Episcopal 
Church, travelled in Turkey, under 
the direction of the Board of Mis¬ 
sion which that church had insti¬ 
tuted. This route was frequently 
beset by bands of Kurds, who de¬ 
pended upon robbing for a living. One day after 
leaving Moush, on halting for refreshments, he heard 
that a villager had been murdered that morning in the 
mountains: and on the same day, in a desolate place, 
he was stopped by a party of the fierce mountaineers. 
The alarming encounter is thus described by the min¬ 
ister :— 

“ The movement threw our muleteer into great ter¬ 
ror. He suddenly ordered us to draw up into a body 
and to move forward slowly, while he hastened to meet 
the advancing horsemen. A warm parley ensued. The 
party eyed us keenly as we approached. My spirits 
sank very perceptibly when I encountered the same fero¬ 
cious look that I had seen in Moush. The conversation 
between the muleteer and the horsemen became more 
earnest, but being in Kurdish, we could understand 
nothing, excepting by their looks and gestures that it 
related to us. The poor muleteer, who had served us 
most faithfully from the first, looked as if he were upon 



PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


27 b 

the rack. lie, succeeded, however, by what arguments 
I know not, in effecting his object, for, after some delay, 
we were suffered to proceed in safety. The Kiahya’s 
story revived the recollection of the adventure, and as if 
this were not enough, I began to feel some self-reproach 
for having undertaken the journey. John, too, became 
gloomy ; called himself a fool for having exposed his life 
for the paltry consideration of monthly wages; and 
wished himself in Constantinople. All this induced a fit of 
loneliness; and, for the first time since my journey began, 
I lay down upon my grass couch with a heavy heart. 

“ How healing is sleep ! How repulsive of care are 
the bright beams of the morning! John rose a new 
man, and I found in the protection of the night some¬ 
thing still to be grateful for. 

“ In the course of the day we passed four old and 
deserted khans of an ancient and solid architecture. 
The principal one was built of hewn stone, with round 
towers or abutments at the angles and sides. It was in 
the Saracenic style, and had doubtless been erected 
many ages baek, for time had now decorated its walls 
with green tresses waving from every gaping chink. 
A stone fountain, which still furnished refreshing water, 
stood before it, and a merry cascade played near by.” 

A wealthy Armenian at Bitlis, to whom Mr. South- 
gate had a letter from Erzroum, gave him a very in¬ 
hospitable reception; pretending to know nothing what¬ 
ever of the person by whom it was written. In these 
circumstances, returning the letter into his pocket, he 
desired to be conducted to the Bey, a Kurd, who 
chanced to be found in one of the khans. 

“ In a few minutes I was in his presence. He sat in 


ENCOUNTER WITH ROBBERS IN TURKEY. 279 


one corner of the room, gayly dressed in the Kurdish 
costume. His whole apparel was white, and his peak 
cap was bound with shawls of the liveliest colours. He 
was young, with a fine, open face and a good form. 
He saluted me gracefully as I entered, and pointed to 
a seat near him. Pipes and coffee were brought, ana 
he began by asking some commonplace questions as to 
my country, name, &c. He was more curious, how¬ 
ever, to know my real design in travelling, and pressed 
the question with considerable importunity. I told him 
in plain terms that my object was to see different peo¬ 
ple and countries, and to observe manners, characters, 
and religions. He could not understand it—an Ori¬ 
ental never can understand the motive of one who 
travels either for information or pleasure. I have 
sometimes heard Turks speak of the locomotive pro¬ 
pensity of the English as a species of insanity. The 
Bey was not satisfied, and asked what had brought me 
into so strange a place as Kurdistan. I replied that 
its very strangeness was my motive, that I wished to 
see what nobody else had seen. He was not contented, 
and grew suspicious. Finding that nothing else would 
avail, I intimated that I was travelling with proper 
credentials, and directed John to exhibit the firman 
of the Sultan. It was received by his secretary, who 
opened it and offered it to the Bey, pronouncing at the 
same time the single word ‘Mahmoud.’ The Bey, in¬ 
stead of receiving it with the customary demonstrations 
of respect, waved his hand contemptuously in token of 
refusal. I then drew forth the boyouroultou of the 
Pacha of Erzroum, and handed it to the scribe. When 
the Bey heard what it was, he ordered it to be read, 


280 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


and at the close, drawing himself up, made some 
remark in Kurdish to the crowd who had gathered 
about the entrance. The meaning of course I could 
not understand, but the tone and expression of face 
which accompanied it, showed that it was of a bold 
character. The bouyouroultou, however, had its de¬ 
sired effect. The Bey added in Turkish that I must 
be provided for, and looking round upon the crowd who 
thronged the entrance, added, “ We must assign him to 
some one who is able to show him proper attention 
and then, as his eye fell on the Armenian to whom I 

had brought the letter, “ M-, will you receive him 

as a guest ?” My Armenian, laying his hand upon his 
heart, professed himself all zeal to comply with the 
wishes of the Bey, and turning to me with an equivo¬ 
cal smile of welcome, requested me to follow him. I 
did so, with a secret feeling of vexation at being thus 
unceremoniously thrust upon his reluctant hospitality, 
but I endeavoured to console myself with the thought 
that I was an instrument of justice to punish him for 
his parsimony. When we had arrived at his house, he 
conducted me to a balcony looking out upon a garden, 
and shaded with magnificent fruit trees. Here carpets 
and cushions were spread for us, and we were invited 
to repose. The motive for forgetfulness being now 
removed, my host’s memory suddenly revived, and I 
delivered him the letter which I had brought for him. 
Though an Armenian, he could not read it himself, but, 
with the aid of his son, contrived to make out a lame 
interpretation, which gratified him so much that he 
afterwards showed the letter to all his friends. 

“ In the evening another Armenian, the banker of 



ENCOUNTER WITH ROBBERS IN TURKEY. 281 


the Bey, came in to make our acquaintance. He wel¬ 
comed us to Bitlis with the warmest cordiality, lavished 
upon us compliments in overwhelming profusion, made 
the most unbounded offer of his services, and concluded 
by insisting upon our being his guests on the morrow. 
I hardly knew to what to attribute this profuse kind¬ 
ness, and I was very grateful to meet with so warm a 
friend, and began to feel quite at home. The next 
morning he called again, but, alas, how changed! 
There was no welcome, no compliment, and the invita¬ 
tion for the day seemed entirely forgotten. The 
melancholy truth at last came out, that our new friend 
had come to us the evening before from the midst of his 
nightly potations, and it was under their influence that 
he had made all the fair speeches which the soberness 
of the morning had dissipated. 



A CIRCASSIAN WOMAN. 

24 * 


ADVENTURES IN OREGON. 


REGON is rapidly rising in wealth, 
and population. Astoria is now 
only one among many settlements 
in that region. The vast resources 
of the territory are being gradually 
developed, and people are attracted 
from all quarters to settle within 
its limits. Every branch of industry 
may have extensive cultivation there. The territory 
abounds in fertile valleys, and numerous mines have 
been discovered. Upon the extensive coast, are many 
fine harbours, upon which cities with extensive com¬ 
merce will, no doubt be founded. Among the recent 
adventurers in this region, was the Rev. Gustavus 
Hines, a zealous missionary, who made many interest¬ 
ing observations upon the character of the territory 
and its inhabitants, and met with some singular adven¬ 
tures. As an illustration of the nature of his career in 
he wilderness, we quote his account of a tour in the 
valley of the Umpqua: 

We prepared to continue our exploring tour farther 
into the interior, and up the valley of the Umpqua 
river. Through the assistance of Mr. Goinea, we pro¬ 
cured an Indian guide of the Umpqua tribe, whom the 







ASTORIA. 




























































































































































































































































































































ADVENTURES IN OREGON. 


285 


French had designated by the name of “ We-We,” and 
who well understood the jargon of the country, and 
could officiate as our interpreter. The forenoon of 
Friday was spent in finding our horses, and preparing 
our pack. All being ready, betwixt twelve and one 
o’clock we started, with our guide in advance. Passing 
over a number of high hills, and fording the Umpqua 
three times, where the bottom was very rocky and the 
water up to our horses’ backs, we encamped at night 
on the bank of a small rivulet, under the shelter of a 
grove of fir. We had travelled about twenty miles. 
The country traversed that day, though mountainous, 
is tolerably well adapted to grazing purposes, the land 
on the hills, and in many of the valleys, being covered 
with a spontaneous growth of the most nutritious grass. 
The timber grows less and less abundant as we pro¬ 
ceed up the river; some of the fir trees, however, are 
most magnificent. We measured one with our lasso 
as high as we could reach, and found it to be thirty-six 
feet in circumference. We judged it to be three 
hundred feet high. In the lowest valleys next the 
streams, grows a kind of timber, the like of which I 
have never seen in any other country. It appears to 
be of the laurel family, and is so strongly scented, that 
the air in the groves where it is found, is strongly im¬ 
pregnated with its aromatic odours. The elk abound 
m this country, and afford a fruitful source whence the 
Indians derive a subsistence. No Indians appeared 
during the first day. 

Saturday, 29th. Continued our toilsome way over 
mountains, and through valleys similar to those already 
described, and at noon arrived at the head quarters of 


286 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


that portion of the Indians of this valley, distinguished 
by the name of the river. Here the head chief of the 
Umpquas has fixed a temporary abode, and here one 
of those circumstances recently transpired, which, 
though of common occurrence in heathen countries, 
where the vicious propensities of depraved human na¬ 
ture are permitted to revel uncontrolled, are sufficient 
to freeze the heart’s blood, even to contemplate at a 
distance. It is as follows : A report came to the ears 
of the chief of the Umpquas, that his wife had been 
guilty of infidelity towards her husband. This so en¬ 
raged him, that, without knowing whether the report 
was true or false, he seized his musket, and went di¬ 
rectly to the lodge where his wife was sitting, and de¬ 
liberately shot her through the heart. 

Soon after our arrival on the side of the river oppo¬ 
site to the village, this chief, with the few men that 
were with him, came over to see us. He delivered a 
long speech, which was interpreted to us by “ We-We,” 
in making which, one of his first objects seemed to be 
to justify the murder of his wife, and then to express 
his gratitude that Christian teachers had come among 
them. While he was haranguing us, my attention was 
caught away from his speech by a terrible burst of 
heathen passions, which took place on the other side 
of the river, among the lodges. In the absence of the 
men, the women had a regular fight, scratching and 
biting one another, and tearing each other’s hair, and 
squalling most frightfully. So tremendous was the 
explosion that even the chief paused in the midst of his 
address, and significantly remarked, “ our women are 
Mas masicha (very bad.) Such were the indications 



INDIAN HUNTING THE ELK. 
















ADVENTURES IN OREGON. 


289 


here, that we came to the conclusion that the soonei 
we were out of the place the better it would be for us, 
and so soon as we had taken a little refreshment from 
our scanty stores, we told our guide that we were 
ready to proceed; but he positively refused to go any 
farther that day, saying that it would be using his 
people very ill, and that the chief would be very angry 
with us, if we did not stop and sleep with them one night. 
The contention became quite warm, and we began to 
consider ourselves in rather critical circumstances. If 
abandoned by our guide, it was extremely doubtful 
whether we could find our way back to the fort, or for¬ 
ward to the great valley of the Umpqua. The whole 
country was rough and mountainous, and.there was no 
visible trail but a small portion of the way. 

But with all these difficulties, we showed that we 
were fixed in our resolutions to leave this suspicious 
horde of savages before darkness could favour them in 
the execution of any treacherous designs which they 
might entertain towards us. Discovering that we were 
ready to mount our horses, We-We became more pli¬ 
able, and said that he would proceed with us, on con¬ 
dition that we would pay him an extra shirt, we having 
at first given him a shirt and a pair of pantaloons. 
Mr. Lee said he would give him no more, but, to get 
rid of the difficulty, I told We-We that if he would go, 
I would give him the additional shirt so soon as we shouh 
reach the great valley. Turning to his people, We- 
We addressed them a few words in the Umpqua lan¬ 
guage, and then told us he was ready to go. Accor¬ 
dingly, we left this group of wretched beings about 
hree o’clock, P. M., and galloped swiftly over a little 

25 


290 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


plain towards a high mountain. Three hours’ hard 
labour in ascending and descending, brought us to the 
foot of the mountain on the opposite side, and passing 
through a dense thicket, we found ourselves again on 
the bank of the river. We-We brought out a 
well known Indian *“ whoop,” and was answered 
by another Indian, just below us, on the river. Im¬ 
mediately four Indians came in sight, with a canoe, 
and We-We told us that we had better unpack our 
horses, and put all our things in a canoe to be taken 
up the river, a few miles beyond a place where the 
pass was very rocky, narrow, and dangerous. But the 
strange conduct of the Indians we had left, had ex¬ 
cited our suspicions; and supposing that those in the 
canoe were some of the same party whom We-We had, 
perhaps, caused to come up the river for no good pur¬ 
pose, we resolved to keep what we had under our own 
eye as long as we could. We told the guide that we 
should keep our things on our horses’ backs. We-We 
hung his head, and told us we would be sorry for it 
before we got through. We proceeded, hut found it as 
We-We had forewarned us. Our trail lay along a 
frightful precipice which towered far above us, and ex¬ 
tended far below us, and in some places was so narrow 
and broken that a miss-step would have precipitated us 
headlong on the rocks below, or into the rushing waters 
f the Umpqua. In one instance my own horse fell 
from ten to fifteen feet down the rocks, but at length 
succeeded in gaining the trail without receiving much 
injury. 

But we were not destined to make the pass, without 
considerable difficulty. In passing the last dangerous 


ADVENTURES IN OREGON. 


291 


pom\ “ old Pomp,” our pack horse, lost his footing, 
and rolling down a rocky steep of some thirty feet, 
went backwards into the Umpqua river. We had fas¬ 
tened around his neck a long lasso, and the end of it 
remaining on shore, we succeeded, by drawing it 
around a tree, in raising and keeping his head above 
the water until We-We had relieved him of his pack. 
While We-We was at work among the rocks, where the 
water was up to his neck, trying to relieve the horse 
of his burden, he told us that we might have saved our¬ 
selves that difficulty, if we had trusted to the honesty 
of an Indian; and we ourselves began to suspect that 
our fears had been quite groundless. It required our 
utmost efforts to keep the horse from drowning; but 
after we had relieved him of his load, he managed him¬ 
self a little better, and finding a place which was not 
quite so steep as the one where he entered the river, 
we succeeded, at that point, in getting him on the 
rocky shore. All our bedding, provisions, &c., were 
thoroughly soaked; but gathering up what was not 
spoiled, and putting some on the horses, and carrying 
some on our own shoulders, we started on, being in¬ 
formed by the guide, that it was not far to a fine 
prairie. Night began to set in, and as we left the 
scene of our disaster, we entered a dense forest of fir, 
and the gloom continued to thicken around us until we 
were enveloped in total darkness. We were leading 
our animals by the bridle, and feeling our way among 
the trees, in the midst of darkness, so dense that it 
was impossible to see a white horse, though within a 
foot of one’s nose, when we became so entangled among 
the logs, ravines, and brush, that we found it was im- 


29 2 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


possible to go either forwards or backwards, to the 
right or to the left, and colloquismg a little through 
the darkness, we came to the conclusion to tie our 
horses to the trees, and make the best of the night we 
could. Having a few matches in mj pocket, and the 
leaves and limbs under my feet being perfectly dry, 1 
soon had the forest illuminated, and then was disclosed 
to our view a most horrible place. We sought for a 
spot on which to sleep, but could find none level 
and large enough to stretch ourselves upon. We must 
either bend over the top of a knoll, or double up in a 
ravine, or remain in a sitting or standing posture. 
We preferred the second, so wrapping ourselves in oui 
wet blankets and rolling into a hollow, we tried to 
compose ourselves to sleep ; but the cracking of limbs 
by the tramp of our horses, the howling of wolves, 
and the screech of an owl, frequently disturbed our re¬ 
pose. The morning sun, however, enabled us so to ad¬ 
just our rather disarranged affairs that we could, quite 
comfortably, prosecute our journey. Next day was 
Sabbath, but we could not remain where we were, and 
we proceeded on a few miles, and came to a band of 
about thirty of the Umpquas, with whom we tarried for 
several hours. They behaved themselves quite orderly, 
and were anxious to render us all the assistance in 
their power. We preached the gospel to them as well 
as we were able, and they said they wanted very much 
to have a missionary come among them. Not desiring 
to sleep in the vicinity of their lodge, we made signs 
of wishing to leave, and the old men came around us, 
of whom there were several, and patting us on the 
shoulders, seemed to express great attachment. But 


ADVENTURES IN OREGON. 


293 


we concluded that their love was not so ardent as to 
render it desirable, on our part, to stop with them over 
night, and, as our provision was growing scarce, we 
decided to set our faces towards the Wallamette valley. 
Gathering up the w r reck of our pack, we again mounted, 
and travelling about twelve miles, encamped on the 
bank of a beautiful rivulet which is one of the tribu¬ 
taries of the Umpqua. We travelled during the whole 
day the distance of twenty-five miles, over as fine a 
country as can be found in any part of the world. An 
agreeable variety of hills, plains, and groves of pine, 
fir, and oak, constituted scenery of the most picturesque 
beauty, and the eye was never weary in gazing upon 
the ever varying picture. In addition to this, the soil 
is good, the grass abundant, and the country well 
watered ; but as we proceeded up the valley of the 
Umpqua, the timber became scarce. A few pines on 
he hills, with a few scattering oak, are the principal 
dnds. Though the country is now destitute of inhabi¬ 
tants, except the wild beasts, and a few savages as 
wild as they, yet the day is not far distant, when it 
will be teeming with .a civilized and Christian people. 

The Indians ‘ inhabiting the Umpqua valley, from 
the Pacific ocean one hundred miles into the interior, 
are very few. All that we could find, or get any satis¬ 
factory evidence as now in existence, did not exceed 
three hundred and seventy-five souls. These live in 
several different clans, and speak two distinct lan¬ 
guages. They would be favourable towards the estab¬ 
lishment of a mission in their country, but seem to 
think that the greatest benefit it would confer on them, 
would be to enable them to sell their beaver and deer 
25 * 


294 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


skins for a higher price. Temporal good is the sole 
object they would have in view. The most of them 
residing as they do on the coast, are almost inacces¬ 
sible, and the establishment and support of a mission 
among them, would be attended with immense ex¬ 
pense. The best information we could obtain, from 
the Indians and others, led us to the conclusion that 
the time doubtless has been when the Indians of this 
valley were vastly more numerous than at present. 
The Umpqua tribe, but a few years ago numbering 
several hundred, by disease and their family wars has 
been reduced to less than seventy-five souls. Under 
the impression that the doom of extinction is suspended 
over this wretched race, and that the hand of Provi¬ 
dence is removing them to give place to a people more 
worthy of this beautiful and fertile country, we arrived 
at the place of our encampment, and found ourselves 
again on the great California trail. 

Having fulfilled his engagement in bringing us 
around to this trail, our guide left us to return to his 
people. 

Monday, September 1st. We quickened our pace 
through a country well adapted to agricultural pur¬ 
poses, and abounding in every variety of scenery; and 
at noon, having travelled twenty-five miles, we stopped 
for dinner on Elk river, at the place where, on going 
out, we left the California trail. In the afternoon, we 
again passed over the Elk mountain, and found that 
the fire was still raging with increasing violence. A 
vast quantity of the large fir and cedar timber, h?d 
been burned down, and in some places the trail was so 
blockaded with fallen trees, that it was almost impos- 


ADVENTURES IN OREGON. 


295 


Bible to proceed; while now and then we passed a 
giant cedar, or a mammoth fir, through whose trunk 
the fire had made a passage, and was still flaming like 
an oven. Every few moments these majestic spars 
would come “ cracking, crashing, and thundering” to 
the ground; but while the fire was thus robbing the 
mountain of its glory, we pushed on over its desolated 
ridges, and at sun-down arrived on a little prairie at its 
base, where we made our encampment. Several times 
during the night we were awakened by the crash of 
the falling timber, on the mountain, which sometimes 
produced a noise similar to that of distant thunder. 

Tuesday, 2d. Homeward bound, at noon we ar¬ 
rived at the Wallamette valley, where, according to 
engagement, we met the Callapooah chief. He had 
collected about sixty of his people, and said that he 
had about forty more. We remained with them four 
hours, and endeavoured to preach to them “ Jesus and 
the resurrection.” Many of them were sick, and 
they appeared wretched beyond description. Our 
bowels of compassion yearned over them, but it was 
not in our power to help them. Commending them 
to God, at four, p. M., we pursued our way; but find¬ 
ing no water, we did not camp till eleven o’clock at 
night. We were then obliged to strip our horses on 
the open prairie, and turn them loose without water, 
and lay ourselves down upon our blankets with om 
lips parched with thirst. Next morning, however, we 
found ourselves, like Hagar in the desert, within a 
short distance of good water. Here I roasted a 
duck for our breakfast, which the Callapooah chief had 
given us. and which we ate with neither bread nor 

O 7 



296 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


sauce; but a cup of coffee, that “ sine qua non ” for 
prairie travelling, washed it down, and on the strength 
of it, we travelled forty miles, during the day, over a 
country of surpassing loveliness, on account of its en¬ 
chanting scenery and amazing feitility. Surely, 
thought I, infinite skill has here been employed, in 
fitting up a country which requires nothing more than 
a population under the influence of the religion of 
Christ, to render it a perfect paradise. The last 
night we encamped within fifteen miles of our families 
and friends, and the next day, Thursday, the 4th, we 
arrived at home in safety, but found our families all 
prostrate with the ague and fever. Having been con¬ 
stantly in healthy exercise in our absence, we re¬ 
turned in the enjoyment of good health, and were 
consequently able to render ourselves useful in taking 
care of the sick. 








TERRIBLE SHIPWRECK AT THE CAPE OF 
GOOD HOPE. 


HE dangers which tra¬ 
vellers are often com¬ 
pelled to encounter while 
journeying upon land 
shrink into trifles when 
compared with those 
attending voyages upon 
the sea. There, all the 
precautions of man are most liable to be. unavailing. 
The largest vessel is but a chip upon the mighty ocean 
when it is lashed to fury in a storm. 

The loss of the barque Francis Spaight at the Cape 
of Good Hope was one of many such fearful events. 
The vessel had just arrived in Table Bay, when on the 
morning of the 7th of January, 1848, a tremendous 
torm arose. She parted her anchors, and in attempt¬ 
ing to. beat out, grounded, broadside at the beach. 
The surf made a complete breach over the vessel, 
carrying away the bulwark, long boat, main hatch, and 
part of the deck, with one of the crew. 

The inhabitants of Cape Town, anxious for the fate 
of the vessel, hurried to the beach. At first they 
attempted to send a rope from the land to the wreck. 





298 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


but the rope broke. Rockets with lines attached, were 
then fired, and one was thrown across the foremast stay, 
where it could not be reached on account of the fearful 
rolling of the sea. A whale-boat was then launched 
and manned by six daring fellows, who dashed through 
the surf, and were soon alongside of the vessel. Fifteen 
men, all of the crew except the carpenter, got into the 
boat and pushed off. At this moment, a tremendous 
wave upset the boat, and twenty-one persons were seen 
struggling in the surf for life. The people on shore 
were terror-stricken; and men on horseback were seen 
plunging into the sea, risking their lives to save their 
fellow-creatures from an awful death. Eighteen of 
those who were in the boat perished. The masts of the 
vessel fell, but the carpenter still clung to the wreck. 
A surf-boat and two smaller boats proceeded towards 
him. One of these boats was capsized and two lives 
lost; but the carpenter was rescued. This man and 
a seaman were all of the crew that reached the shore. 
The bay where this dreadful disaster occurred is very 
much exposed to storms, and its shores are particularly 
dangerous, on account of their shelving character. 
The inhabitants of Cape Town, by their truly heroic 
exertions on this occasion merited the admiration of the 
brave of every land. Those who perished while stri¬ 
ving to reach the wreck should have had a noble monu¬ 
ment. 


ASCENT OF MONT BLANC BY MADEMOI¬ 
SELLE D’ANGEVILLE. 


EW females have had the courage 
and hardihood to attempt the 
ascent of Mont Blanc. Among 
the first was a French lady, 
named d’Angeville. 

Near St. Lambert, in the de¬ 
partment of the Ain, at the foot 
of the western declivity of the Jura, where many rugged 
mountains are linked together, is seated a mansion 
named Lompuds. Here Mademoiselle d’Angeville was 
born and brought up. She exercised herself at an 
early age in long mountain excursions in her own neigh¬ 
bourhood, and on one occasion walked seventy leagues 
in four days. One would scarcely conceive her to be 
capable of such an exertion, judging from her slender 
figure, her small elegant foot, and a handsome hand of 
corresponding delicacy. Her eye certainly betrays 
intelligence and firmness, and her language resolution 
and the tone of good society. At the first sight of Mont 
Blanc, glowing as it then was in the rays of the setting 
sun, she conceived an extraordinary desire to be on the 
top of it—a feeling which she has ever since cherished, 
and which was partly the cause of her long visit to 




300 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


Geneva, where there is so magnificent a view of that 
mountain and its fellows. As Mademo elle d’An 
geville is not rich, it took her several years to save 
the sum requisite for the enterprise, and then she said 
to herself, “I will now accomplish it.” 

In the first days of September, she proceeded from 
Geneva to Chamouni. There, at the “ Union,” she 
immediately made known her intention. Every one 
and the guides themselves, joined in remonstrating with 
and dissuading her. Regardless of all representations, 
she persisted in her purpose. The guides, therefore, 
were at length forced to relinquish their opposition, and 
to enter into negotiation with the adventurous lady. 
She engaged Joseph Coutet, who had been already 
seven times on Mont Blanc as chief of the guides, hired 
five others and two porters; so that the party consisted 
altogether of nine persons. 

The 3d of September, as a serene sky and a cool 
air announced a fine'day, the necessary implements and 
provisions were collected, and preparations made for 
starting. Over thick trowsers the lady put on a 
woman’s gown of coarse woolen stuff, and over that a 
goatskin cloak, such as is commonly worn by the girls 
at the chalets on the Alps in the vicinity, a fur hood 
coming far over the face, and upon it a large straw 
hat, without green veil or green spectacles. She had 
besides, stout shoes, and the indispensable Alpine 
stick, mounted with chamois’ horn. 

Without difficulty or inconvenience, the spirited tra¬ 
veller passed the Torrent de Mimont, the Pierre de 
l’Echelle, the splendid glacier of Bossons, and the 
obelisk-like rocks of the Grands Mulets, where she col- 


ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 


301 


lected plants, and wrote short notes as memorials of the 
spot to her friends and relations. Here a glorious night 
awaited her. Flooded by the light of a full moon, 
the vast fields of snow above, and the sparkling glaciers 
below her, produced a surprising effect, which was 
heightened by the avalanches that descended, crashing 
and thundering from the Dent du Midi past the foot 
of the rock-below. 

The magnificence of the scene allowed her not a 
moment’s sleep, though she felt quite well. She 
observed in the moonlight, how Munier, one of her 
porters, had composed himself to sleep on a narrow 
ridge of rock, in such a manner that either leg hung 
down over a tremendous abyss, into which he must 
have fallen on the slightest movement. She stepped 
softly to him and awakened him: he eyed her at first 
in amazement, and then, smiling, quieted her with the 
assurance that he should be very glad if he could 
always find so good a bed in his mountain excursions. 

About three o’clock the party pursued their route. 
The guides had previously made a hearty breakfast; 
but Mademoiselle d’Angeville, having no appetite, con¬ 
tented herself with five dried plums and snow, and she 
took nothing but this frugal meal between Chamouni 
and the summit of Mont Blanc, for it was not till she 
reached that point that she felt any inclination for 
eating. While the guides were breakfasting, she 
changed her dress in the tent, putting on thick, warm, 
man’s apparel, instead of the woman’s gown, which 
was an obstruction to her. 

Continuing her journey, Mademoiselle d’Angeville 
crossed the Taconnaz glacier, the Petites Montees, the 
26 


302 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


Petit Plateau, the Grandes Montees, and the Grand 
Plateau, with an ease that filled all her guides with 
astonishment, and occasioned the repeated remark that 
they had seldom seen a man walk, climb, and leap over 
abysses, with such firmness, safety, and resolution. 
Owing to her experience in climbing mountains, she 
found no difficulty in the ascent of Mont Blanc as far 
as Mur de la C6te; and she is surprised at all prece¬ 
ding travellers, who have described it as so formidable, 
and represented it as being attended with such terrific 
circumstances, which she considers the more incompre¬ 
hensible, inasmuch as the traveller is always held by a 
strong rope tied round the body, or steps upon poles 
held in form of a bridge between two of the guides, so 
that real danger is quite out of the question. 

It was not till she had passed the Petits Mulets that 
Mademoiselle d’Angeville began to he fatigued, and 
her weariness increased the nearer she came to the 
Mur de la Cote. This is the last but likewise the 
most difficult acclivity, on account of its slope of from 
eighty to eighty-two degrees, that you have to climb 
before you reach the top of Mont Blanc. It is true 
that all the guides had begun to flag excepting the 
chief, who always went on before her, and with his 
little axe had cut broad steps in the frozen snow. Had 
there been a telescope in Geneva that would enable the 
observer to distinguish persons at the distance of four¬ 
teen leagues, one might have watched Mademoiselle 
d’Angeville climbing the sharp eastern border of the 
Calotte, and seen how her motions gradually became 
slower, and indicated more and more exhaustion, and 
how she sat down every fifty paces to rest and to take 


ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 


308 


breath. The otherwise lively and courageous traveller 
was now seized with an increasing despondency, accom¬ 
panied by a painful oppression of the chest, and a feel¬ 
ing as if molten lead was circulating in her veins. She 
assured me herself, that she had mustered and exerted 
all the energies of her mind, that she might not lost 
all courage for proceeding further. This state she 
calls an agony. Several times she sank down in spite 
of herself, and in one of these moments—incapable of 
uttering a word—she heard her conductor say, “ Jamais 
*je ne menerai plus de femme sur h Mont Blanc.” 

To facilitate her progress, Coulet pulled by a rope 
fastened round her waist; and, but for this assistance, 
she would probably not have had strength to reach the 
summit. When she afterwards rallied him on his un¬ 
gallant expression, he replied that her situation, owing 
to the extreme tension of the nerves and muscles at 
that height, was such as to threaten death; that her 
face was quite distorted, like that of a person who has 
expired in convulsions ; and that he was every moment 
afraid lest he should see her drop down dead. Fortu¬ 
nately, with his assistance, her strength just sufficed to 
reach the top, after inexpressible exertions, on Tuesday, 
the 4th of September, at fifty-five minutes past twelve 
o’clock. 

The moment the air of the summit entered her lungs, 
she felt cured and invigorated—just the reverse of all 
the male ascenders of Mont Blanc, who were always 
weak and relaxed on the top. Not only did her bodily 
ailments forsake her, but she felt as it were incor¬ 
poreal, all spirit, and all gaiety. The female who the 
day before had been so concerned about her modesty 


304 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


was here transformed into a thoroughly natural and 
joyous creature: for, when the chief guide remarked 
that he had a right to a kiss on that spot, she made 
no resistance, but laughingly presented her cheek for 
the salute. 

After the salute, Coutet, who had before been very 
grave, grew extremely gallant, and said to Mademoi¬ 
selle d’Angeville, “ II faut qu’en revanche Mademoiselle 
monte plus haut que la cime du Mont Blanc, et qui 
n’est encore arrive a personne.” 

At a signal from him, all the other guides lent a 
hand, and fairly lifted the lady upwards of four feet 
above the surface of the snow. After this supple¬ 
mentary ascent, the provisions were unpacked, espe¬ 
cially as the lady had recovered her appetite where all 
other travellers lose theirs. She ate with great relish, 
and, as a loyal Frenchwoman, drank a glass of cham¬ 
pagne to the health of the Count de Paris. Immedi¬ 
ately afterwards she fell to work upon her correspon¬ 
dence, and wrote four or five short letters to her rela¬ 
tives and friends in Geneva and its environs, as 
Napoleon formerly dated decrees from the Kremlin. 
In this there was to be sure something of affectation. 
The short time that she passed here she might have 
employed to better purpose than in writing letters; 
for now she had but a very brief interval for examining 
the prospect in all its parts. It was not till she had 
finished her correspondence that she directed her at¬ 
tention to the view, favoured by a perfectly clear and 
serene sky, such as few have met with on Mont Blanc. 

Here then stood Mademoiselle d’Angeville, upon a 
lofty island, amidst an ocean of immense mountain 


ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 


305 


waves. Overlooking the mighty chains of the Cat- 
tian, Grajan, Pennine, and Lepontine Alps, and the 
Alps of Glarus, Uri, Unterwalden, and Berne, which 
lay at her feet, like huge dragons, with scales, horns, 
and teeth, she must have been amply compensated for 
what she did not see, for the view which other travel¬ 
lers profess to have obtained of Milan, the Mediterra¬ 
nean, Venice, and the Adriatic Sea. She declared 
that she could not discover the slightest trace of any 
of these objects,’ notwithstanding the sharpness of her 
sight, and the serenity of the atmosphere, since at this 
distance, even with a good telescope, the whole scene 
is blended into an undefined mass, of an ash-gray. On 
this point, however, we shall not insist. With rapid 
and practised hand she made several sketches, and was 
only prevented from taking more by a cold of 8° 
Reaumur. What other travellers relate concerning 
great debility, sleepiness, disposition to vomit, bleeding 
at the nose, pain in the eyes, faintness of sounds, &c. 
she did not find confirmed by her own experience. In 
short, Mont Blanc appeared to her in many respects 
totally different from what it had done to preceding 
travellers. 

After a stay of fifty minutes she commenced her 
descent, which was performed without accident, and of 
course more rapidly than the ascent. That meteoro¬ 
logical influence on feminine delicacy to which we have 
alluded, still continued to prevail in all its force, for 
Mademoiselle d’Angeville made no scruple to glide 
down over the mirror-like surface of the snow in the 
same manner as male travellers, that is to say seated, 
the guide sitting between her legs, of which he took 
26 * 


306 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


fast hold. Within half an hour after they had left the 
top it was enveloped in a dense fog, which did not 
clear away for above a week. 

It is a remarkable circumstance that two other suc¬ 
cessful attempts to ascend Mont Blanc were made at 
the same time with Mademoiselle d^Angeville’s. M. 
Stoppe, of Posen, with six guides, and M. Eisenkramer, 
the landlord of the Union, at Chamouni, with his guides 
and porters, started shortly after her, passed the night 
not far from the lady, on the Grands Mulets, and 
reached the summit of the mountain very soon after 
hex Thus there were for a moment twenty-four 
persons at once on the top of Mont Blanc. Stoppe 
and Eisenkramer congratulated the lady on her suc¬ 
cessful ascent, but stayed on the summit a much shorter 
time than she did, and saw scarcely any thing, for they 
left it again in five minutes, as though they had come 
merely for the sake of sajdng that they had been 
there. 

In a few hours Mademoiselle d’Angeville had passed 
the places which it had cost such labour to ascend, and 
reached the station of the Grands Mulets. The days 
were too short, and the lady too much fatigued, for 
her to think of returning the same day to Chamouni, 
as Eisenkramer did, after resting a while on the rock. 
She again passed the night there, made several sketches 
n the morning, and arrived about noon at Chamouni, 
where she was received with great rejoicing, with songs, 
and the firing of guns, both by natives and foreigners. 
She dined at the table d'hote of the Union. On the 
following day she gave the guides their usual treat, 
which had a peculiar interest. At the head of the 


ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 


307 


table sat Marie de Mont Blanc, no longer handsome 
and blooming, but lively and full of spirits, and who 
even drank so freely at the dessert that her tongue 
became very loud. Mademoiselle d’Angeville, the 
other female ascender of Mont Blanc, was seated at the 
lower end of the table, and did the honours in the 
genuine French style. 



MONT BLA50. 





LOSS OF THE VRFHK11> 


HE ship Vryheid, of whoa* wreck we 
are about to give an account, was in 
a very decayed state when she was 
purchased from the British East In¬ 
dia Company, by some Dutch mer¬ 
chants, who repaired her in a tolerable 
manner, and sold her to the Dutch 
.government. The vessel was equipped to carry troops 
and stores to Batavia. On the morning of November 
1, 1802, she set sail from the Texel, a port on the 
coast of Holland, with a fair wind. Early on the fol¬ 
lowing day, a gale arose in an adverse direction. The 
captain of the Vryheid immediately had the top-gal¬ 
lant masts and yards struck, to make her ride more 
easily ; but, as the day advanced, the force of the 
gale increased, and the crew strove in vain to manage 
the ship. There were a number of women and chil¬ 
dren, passengers on board, and as the ship was driven 
on by the furious blast, their state was truly heart¬ 
rending. 

About the middle of the afternoon, the mainmast fell 
overboard, sweeping several of the crew into the sea, 
and severely injuring four or five more. The vessel 
was then so near the coast of Kent, England, that ob- 











LOSS OF THE VRYHEID. 



































































































































































































































































LOSS OF THE VRYHEID. 


311 


jects could be discerned on land, but the tremendous 
waves prevented the approach of aid. At length, the 
ship was brought to anchor in H jthe Bay, and for a few 
moments, hope cheered the breasts of those on board. 
Soon after, however, she was found to have sprung a 
leak, and while all hands were busy at the pumps, the 
storm came on with renewed fury. All that night the 
gale continued, and those on board the Vryheid were 
kept in a horrible state of suspense. About six o’clock 
the following morning, the ship parted from one of 
her largest anchors, and drifted on towards Dimchurch- 
walJ, about three miles to the west of Hythe. The 
crew continued to fire guns, and hoist signals of dis¬ 
tress. At daybreak, a pilot boat put off from Dover, 
and nearing the Vryheid, advised the captain to put 
back to Deal or Hythe, and wait for calmer weather. 
But the captain would not act on this recommendation ; 
he thought the pilot boat exaggerated the danger, 
hoped the wind would abate as the day opened, and 
that he should avoid the demands of the Dover pilot 
or the Down fees, by not casting anchor there. No 
sooner had the pilot boat departed, than the commo¬ 
dore at Deal despatched two boats to endeavour to 
board the ship. The captain stubbornly refused to 
take any notice of them, and ordered the crew to let 
the vessel drive before the wind. This they did, 
till the ship ran so close in shore, that the captain him¬ 
self saw the imminent danger, and twice attempted to 
put her about, but in vain. On the first of the pro¬ 
jecting jetties of Dimchurchyard wall, the vessel 
struck. No pen can describe the horrors of the 
scene that ensued. The ship continued to beat on the 


312 


'ERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


piles, the sea breaking over her with such violence that 
the pumps could no longer be worked. The foremast 
soon went over the side, carrying twelve seamen with 
it among the boiling waves. The rudder was un¬ 
shipped, the tiller tore up the gun deck, and the water 
rushed in at the port-holes. At this dreadful moment, 
most of the passengers and crew joined in solemn prayer 
to the Almighty. The morning witnessed the com¬ 
plete destruction of the wreck. Numerous efforts were 
made to reach the shore by means of the boats, rafts 
and hogsheads. But out of 472 persons who, a few 
days before had sailed from Holland, only 18 escaped. 
These were well treated by the inhabitants of the 
coast. It was generally believed at the time that the 
vessel could have been saved, if the captain had not 
shut his ears against those who were competent to ad¬ 
vise. The stubbornness of the commander has fre¬ 
quently proved fatal under such circumstances. 









"'f -f N-V X 



MANDAN BURTING-PLAOK. 

ADVENTURES UPON THE UPPER MISSOURI. 



HE Missouri is a branch of that vol 
ume of waters, which, under the name 
of Mississippi, pours into the Gulf of 
Mexico. Its main stream and several 
important tributaries, flow for several 
hundreds of miles through tracts of prairie land 
chiefly inhabited by the Crow, Blackfeet, As- 
sinaboins, and other tribes of Indians. In spite 
of numerous treaties between these tribes and 
the whites, a hostile feeling prevails, and the danger of 
travelling through the region is thereby much increased. 










314 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


In 1837, a young man visited the most advanced post 
of the Upper Missouri, upon some business concerning 
the collection of peltries. After the conclusion of his 
service, an account of his adventures was anonymously 
published. From this, we make a few extracts, illus¬ 
trating the mode of life and the perils to be met with 
in the wilds of the “ far west 

Our youog friend proceeded to his place of duty by 
way of the Ohio, St. Louis, and Council Bluffs. Here 
he had to commence with his associates, a long land 
journey upon horseback. The horses which were to 
carry them, came with their baggage, from St. Louis, 
to the opposite side of the Missouri, there a quarter of 
a mile broad. “ We had neither a canoe nor a boat to 
bring over the baggage; but this was a small matter 
in the Indian country. Two skins were soon fixed by 
some squaws, while we commenced and made a frame, 
which we covered and made a canoe of in less than an 
hour. Although it was pretty large, and could easily 
carry six men, a boy of fourteen might have carried it 
a whole day, without being fatigued. All the men and 
horses were got safely across. The party numbered 
thirty-one. When they stopped for the night, each 
man rolled himself in his blanket, took his saddle for 
a pillow, and lay down to rest beside a fire, unless the 
weather was rainy, in which case they raised a tent. 

“ Our road lay through a pretty prairie, intersected 
here and there with small streams. Many of those 
being very difficult to cross, owing to their soft muddy 
bottoms, all hands had to cut weeds and branches to 
throw upon the banks, to prevent the pack-horses from 
miring. There was one in particular so bad, that we 


MANDAN VILLAGE. 






V » 

















































































































































































































ADVENTURES IN THE UPPER MISSOURI. 817 

had to bridge it completely; one of the men had led 
my horse over, I was following, but keeping too near 
the side, my foot slipped, and down I went nearly over 
the head, to the great amusement of the company. I 
never minded, but mounted my horse and rode on till 
we camped at mid-day, when I got dry. The Canadian 
clerk laughed at me more than any of them, but I was 
destined soon to have ample revenge. We had to 
cross a creek a few days afterwards, and one of the 
men having waded through and found it passable, Mr. 
Canadian was to go first; he was turning his horse 
close upon the edge of the stream, below where we 
should have crossed, when the horse stepped back, and, 
finding his hind feet fast, reared and kicked, until 
making* a terrible effort to extricate himself, he reared 
full back, and pitched Bruigiere right into the middle of 
the river. He went fairly over head and ears, and as 
soon as he could extricate himself, made for the side 
with all speed: when we found that he was not hurt, 
we laughed so heartily at him that he was inclined to 
get sulky ; but it was of no use, as it made us laugh 
the more.” 

In nineteen days, they arrived at Fort St. Pierre, 
obtaining provisions as they went along from friendly 
Indians. They were now approaching the Mandan 
village, a conspicuous seat of Indian population, at the 
point where the Missouri changes its course from the 
east to the south. Here we have a striking anecdote 
illustrative of one class of the perils to which savage 
life is exposed. “ We were in great fear that the fort 
at the Mandan village had been destroyed by the In¬ 
dians, as an express that had been sent there was 
27* 


318 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


fifteen days beyond the time of returning. Mr. Camp¬ 
bell wished Mr. Mitchell to stay a few days, or failing 
that, to go out into the prairie and avoid the village 
altogether; as if the Riccaras had taken the Mandan 
post, they would be waiting for us, and we would have 
no chance with them, they with their allies mustering 
one thousand warriors. Mr. Mitchell, however, thought 
he would run the risk, so we crossed the river, as 
there were few Indians on the other side; from here 
we had to keep a very sharp look-out. My turn for 
guard came every five nights: but they never at¬ 
tempted to steal our horses. As we came near the 
Mandan post, we had to conceal our fires as much as 
possible, and look more strictly after the horses. At 
last we arrived -within about fifteen miles, and en¬ 
camped in a hollow. All was anxiety and speculation 
about the state of affairs at the post. We started early 
in the morning, every gun being ready for action, and 
reached within four miles pretty early in the day.—• 
Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Christie, and one of the men, went 
under cover of the wood on the river to reconnoitre. 
We remained behind all ready in case of alarm. Mr. 
Mitchell was astonished at seeing no Indians near the 
village; he fired his gun, and one of the men at the 
fort having heard him, came across and took him over. 
There was a melancholy tale to unfold—eight hundred 
and eighty-eight had died of the small-pox, which was 
brought up with the steam-boat belonging to our com¬ 
pany in the spring, and nothing was heard but the wild 
wail of the poor Indians that were left. The Mandans 
were all dead except thirty-two, and that small num¬ 
ber have been turned out of their village by the 


ADVENTURES IN THE UPPER MISSOURI. 319 

Riccaras in a state of absolute starvation. We 
pushed away from this place for the Yellowstone. We 
found Riccaras and Gros-Ventres all along the river, 
and at every place nothing but death and devastation. 
When we reached the Yellowstone, small-pox had 
ceased in the fort, but whole bands were dying out. 
Here, [Fort Mackenzie in the Rocky Mountains,] and 
over the mountains, about nine out of ‘twelve are 
dying, and almost every Indian who comes to the fort 
to trade, is either ill with the disease or getting 
better. There have been nineteen deaths in this fort, 
but only three of them white men, who had never been 
inoculated.’* 

The party spent in all eighty-seven days in the 
journey from St. Louis to Fort Mackenzie, during 
which time our young friend slept only sixteen nights 
under a roof. He describes his mode of life as healthy, 
the chief viands being buffalo stakes, eaten twice a 
day. 

A subsequent letter is dated from Fort Mackenzie, 
7th April, 1839. “ When I last wrote, the boats were 
about to start with the peltries for the Yellowstone, 
leaving a mixed garrison in our fort of only nine. It 
was not long till we got into a very pretty scrape 
with a party of Crow Indians, who are a set of rascals, 
rushing upon us suddenly for the purpose of carrying 
off our horses. I happened to be near where they 
were feeding at the time; I unluckily was unarmed ; 
but I will copy the account of the affray from my 
journal.—Tuesday, May 22.—About twelve o clock I 
went out to the horses; they were quite close to the 
fort: on my way I saw one of the horse guards coming 


320 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


down behind the fort, where he had been reconnoitermg, 
he reported that he had seen no signs of Indians 
being near. I remained about fifteen minutes with 
him, and then went back towards the fort. I had 
scarcely left him when one of the men called to 
me that the Gros-Ventres Indians were on the hill, a 
party of whom had been at war with the Assinaboins, 
and of whom two had arrived the previous night. In 
this he was wrong, for they were not Gros-Ventres but 
Crow Indians. From the way in which the Indians 
approached the horses, I suspected they designed no 
good; I ran back to assist the guard in gathering 
them, and drove them towards the fort. The Indians 
came upon us at full gallop, mostly all naked, and com¬ 
menced firing as soon as they were within shot. 
The guard, however, kept them off till we got the 
horses close to the river bank, which put it out of the 
power of the rascals to surround us. I pushed them 
on as well as I could, but they were so frightened by 
the Indians galloping backwards and forwards, that I 
could scarcely get them to move. During all this 
time they kept up a smart fire, which was returned by 
one of the guards, whilst the other retained his fire, 
and whenever an Indian attempted to rush among the 
horses he presented his gun, which had the effect of 
sending him to the right about. I had no arms 
whatever, otherwise I might have knocked some of 
them over. It was any thing but pleasant to hear the 
balls whistling about one’s ears, and not be able to re¬ 
turn the compliment. I always expected they would 
fire from the fort with grape shot. In this, however, 
I was disappointed, although one of the men had the 


ADVENTURES IN THE UPPER MISSOURI. 321 

cannon primed, and the match lighted. This was, to 
all appearance, our only chance of escaping with our 
lives ; but the clerk who had charge would not allow 
the man to fire, though the Indians were loading and 
firing as fast as they possibly could. One fellow with 
a red shirt fired three shots at me; the two first were 
far too high, but the third time he took better aim, I 
dodged, and the bullet whistled close to my ear. After 
this they scampered off. I then ran into the fort for 
my rifle, in case they should return we could get the 
horses in. I had just time to run up to the north 
bastion, and put on my powder-horn and ball-pouch, 
when, looking out at one of the ports to my inexpres¬ 
sible grief, I saw the horses gallop down past the fort. 
They had made a run, and none of the men, who by 
this time were outside, attempted to stop them, or to 
assist the guard in doing so. The Indians then seized 
the opportunity, and carried them all off: we fired two 
rounds of grape, and blazed away with our muskets, 
but to no purpose, for they soon got out of our reach. 
What made the affair so annoying was, that three of 
us had risked our lives, and had succeeded in bringing 
the horses to the gate, whilst those inside had rendered 
us no assistance whatever. I had a good buffalo run¬ 
ner, which cost me upwards of seventy dollars : he 
went with the rest. The horses belonging to the com¬ 
pany were all fine animals, the trash having been sold 
off in the Spring. The party of Indians consisted of 
about sixty men, all well mounted and armed.” 

The meetings with the Indians for trading purposes, 
which generally take place after the arrival of a boat 
at the fort with goods, are thus described : — “ Each 


322 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


chief heads his hand of warriors ; the flag is hoisted, 
and a cannon fired, on the arrival of the different 
chiefs, who generally bring presents of beaver-robes or 
horses for the chief of the fort. In return for these, 
they are presented with dresses, &c. After smoking 
and haranguing in favour of the whites for a while, 
they get a very large kettle of liquor before leaving the 
fort. So soon, however, as they get outside, the row 
commences ; men, women, and children, yelling and 
singing like a pack of fiends—tumbling about in every 
direction, in every variety of nudity, for very few of 
them can boast of a complete dress, especially in 
summer time. A few of the greatest men are admit¬ 
ted into the fort to sell their peltries. Among these is- 
the great chief of the Blackfeet; he won’t trade with 
any but me. When he enters the gate, none of his 
band dare follow him, he has them all so well under 
command. His medicine is a weasel, with five or six 
bells attached to the nose, and slung across his shoulder 
with a piece of old rund ; these he must ring before he 
smokes, or, as is often the case, one of his band rings 
them behind his back when he takes his pipe. He is a 
fine old fellow ; and I should think from his appearance, 
he is at least about six feet four or five inches high. He 
affects the dress of a white man, and delights in a pair 
of pantaloons, hat, &c. I had almost forgot to mention 
another remarkable personage, who is second to none 
in this country; his name is Le Reynard. He is one 
of those fellows that will make himself heard, and want3 
to be thought a chief; but he is so hard up, poor fel¬ 
low, that they do not look upon him as such. When 
the Blood Indians came on ceremony, he, of course, was 


; - V 






blackfoot chief. 











¥ 




























































A \ 










' 













































i 























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I 

• ■ rig 








. 























































ADVENTURES IN THE UPPER MISSOURI. 325 

the principal man, or at least pretended to be so, because, 
I suppose, he thought himself more like a white man 
than any of the others. He formed the t order of march 
to the fort. His dress consisted of a pair of old duck 
trousers, an old vest, and a piece of old calico for a 
neckerchief, but not a rag in the shape of a shirt or 
hat had he. His appearance was too much for me: I 
laughed till I set mostly all the others off, and- it was 
with great difficulty we composed ourselves, and were 
able to receive them with the dignity becoming such 
great men.” 



28 







WRECK OF THE FORFARSHIRE STEAMBOAT. 


HE name of Grace Darling has at¬ 
tained a wide celebrity ; but we doubt 
whether the fearful scene in which that 
heroic girl acted so conspicuous a part, 
is so generally known. It was at early 
dawn, one September morning, 1838, 
that the Darling family at the Long- 
stone light-house, on one of the Fame isles, discovered 
the wreck of a steam vessel on the rocks. It w T as the 
Forfarshire, on her passage from Hull to Dundee. 
She left the former place with 63 persons on board. 
She had entered Berwick bay about eight o’clock the 
previous evening, in a heavy gale and in a leaky con¬ 
dition. The fires could not be kept burning. About 
ten o’clock she bore up off St. Abb’s Head, the storm 
still raging. Soon after, the engineer reported that 
the engines would not w T ork. The vessel then became 
unmanageable. The appearance of breakers and the 
Fame lights, showed *to all their imminent danger. 
The captain tried to run the vessel between the islands 
and the main land, but she would not obey the helm. 
Between three and four o’clock in the morning, she 
struck with her bows foremost, on a jagged rock, which 










WRECK OF THE FORFARSHIRE STEAMBOAT 



















































































































































































































































































































































































































- 

■ 11 - . 




* 





































WRECK OF THE FORFARSHIRE STEAMBOAT. 329 


pierced her timbers. Soon after the first shock, a 
tremendous wave lifted the steamboat from the rock, 
and let her fall again with such violence as fairly to 
break her in two pieces. The after part, containing 
many passengers was instantly carried away, and all 
upon it perished; the forepart remained fixed upon 
the rock. The survivors, only nine in number—five of 
the crew and four passengers, remained in this dread¬ 
ful situation until day-break, when they were seen by 
the family at the light house. 

Grace Darling was then about 22 years of age. 
Filled with pity for the condition of those on the 
wreck, she urged her father to launch the boat. She 
took one oar and her father took the other. She had 
never rowed before ; but by the most determined ex¬ 
ertions amid the furious sea, she succeeded in aiding 
the boat to the rock, and in taking off the survivors of 
the wreck. All were landed safely at the light-house. 

Grace needed no reward but the approval of her own 
brave heart. But the news of her heroic deed spread 
afar, and strangers came to visit her at the lonely 
light-house. They showered gifts upon her, and seven 
hundred pounds were raised by public subscription 
and presented to her. Her death took place about 
three years after the wreck of the Forfarshire steamer, 


THE CROCODILE BATTERY. 



LATE English traveller relates 
the following stirring adven¬ 
tures and singular.exploit: 


In the summer of 1846, 


when every body in England 
was crazy with railway gam¬ 
bling, I was sojourning on 


jHH the banks of the Rohan, a 


^ small stream in one of the 
northwestern provinces of 


India. Here I first became acquainted with the Mug¬ 
ger, or Indian Crocodile. I had often before leaving 
England, seen, in museums, stuffed specimens of the 
animal, and had read in “Voyages and Travels,” all 
sorts of horrible and incredible stories concerning them. 
I had a lively recollection of Waterton riding close to 
the water’s edge on the back of an American cayman, 
and I had a confused notion of sacred crocodiles on the 
banks of the Nile. I always felt more or less inclined 
to regard the whole race as having affinities with Sin- 
bad’s “roc,” and the wild men of the woods, who only 
refrained from speaking for fear of being made to 
work. 

My ideas respecting the natural history of crocodiles 





THE CROCODILE BATTERY 




























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































- 



















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■ 


















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THE CROCODILE BATTERY. 


383 


were in this stage of development when, one day, while 
paddling up the Rohan, I saw what appeared to be a 
half-burned log of wood lying on a sand-bank. I pad- 
died close up to it. To my astonishment, it proved to 
be a huge reptile. The old stories of dragons, griffins, 
and monsters, seemed no longer fables ; the specula¬ 
tions of geologists concerning, mososaurians , hyldesau- 
rians , and plesiosaurians , were no longer dreams. 
There, in all his scaly magnificence, was a real saurian, 
nearly eighteen feet long. For a while I stood gazing 
at this, to me, new fellow-citizen of the world, and 
speculating on his mental constitution. The monster 
was, or pretended to be, asleep. I wondered if he 
dreamt, and what his dreams or reveries might be 
about; possibly he was dreaming of the same old world 
with which I had associated him—possibly of the fish 
who were swimming in the waters below: or, he might 
be thinking of the men and women he had swallowed 
in the course of his existence. There was a snort; 
perhaps that was occasioned by the bugles and heavy 
brass ornaments which had adorned the limbs of some 
Hindoo beauty he had eaten, and which were lying heavy 
and indigestible on his stomach. But presently the brute 
lay so still, and seemed so tranquil and placid in his 
sleep, that it was difficult to imagine him guilty of such 
atrocities. He did not appear to be disturbed by re¬ 
morse, or the twitchings of a guilty conscience: it may 
have been all a slander. I felt so kindly disposed 
towards him, that I could not imagine it possible that 
if awake he would feel disposed to eat me. Let us see ! 
so making a splash with my paddle, I wakened the 
sleeping beauty. He instantly started up, and opened, 


334 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


what appeared—what indeed proved to be—an enlarged 
man-trap; disclosing a red, slimy cavern within, 
fringed with great conical fangs. He closed it with a 
snap that made me shudder, and then plunged into the 
water, his eyes glaring with hate and defiance. 

Some days after I had this new acquaintance, I was 
sitting at home talking with my brother, when a native 
woman came crying and screaming to the bungalow 
door, tearing her hair out in handfuls; she got down 
on the veranda floor and struck her head against it, as 
if she really meant to dash her brains out. A crowd 
of other women stood at a short distance, crying and 
lamenting as if they were frantic. What was the mat¬ 
ter ? Half-a-dozen voices made answer in a discordant 
chorus, that while the poor woman was washing her 
clothes by the river side, her child—an infant about a 
year old—had been seized and swallowed by a Mugger. 
Although convinced that aid was now impossible, we 
took our guns and hastened to the spot where the acci¬ 
dent happened; but all was still there, not a wavelet 
disturbed the surface of the stream. A small speckled 
kingfisher was hovering overhead, as if balanced in the 
air, with its beak bent down on its breast, watching the 
fish beneath; presently it darted like an arrow into the 
water; returned with an empty bill, and then went off, 
with its clear, sharp, twittering note, as if to console 
kself for the failure. 

One day I was sitting on the high bank of the river, 
taking snap shots with my gun at the large fish who 
were every now and then leaping out of the water. A 
favourite spaniel was bringing a fish out of the water 
that I had hit. It had swam already half way across 


THE CROCODILE BATTERY. 335 

the stream, when the water about six yards below her 
became suddenly disturbed; and, to my horror, up 
started the head and open jaws of an enormous croco¬ 
dile. The dog gave a loud shriek, and sprang half out 
of the water. The Mugger swam rapidly, and had 
got within a yard of his intended victim, when I raised 
my gun, and took aim at the monster’s head. A thud, 
a splash, a bubble, and a dusky red streak in the water, 
was all that ensued. Presently, however, Juno’s glossy 
black head emerged from the water; and, to my de¬ 
light, began to make rapid progress towards me, and 
landed safely. The poor brute, wet and shivering, 
coiled herself up at my feet, with her bright hazel eyes 
fixed on mine with ineffable satisfaction. Poor Juno 
subsequently fell a victim to the Muggers, when her 
master was not at hand to succour her. I mention 
these facts, to show that the diabolical revenge with 
which I afterwards assisted in visiting these monsters, 
was not groundless. But" the strongest occasion of it 
remains to be told. 

Just as the “ rains” were beginning, my neighbour, 
Mr. Hall, sent me word that he intended paying me 
a short visit, and requested me to send a syce (groom), 
with a saddle horse, to meet him at a certain place on 
the road. The syce, Sidhoo, was a smart, open-chested, 
sinewy-limbed little fellow, a perfect model of a biped 
racer. He could run—as is the custom in the East— 
alongside his horse at a pace of seven or eight miles 
an hour, for a length of time that would astonish the 
best English pedestrian I ever heard of. 

Toward evening, Mr. Hall rode up to the bungalow, 
dripping with water, and covered with mud. I saw at 


336 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 

once that some accident had happened, and hastened 
to assist him. 

As soon as he got inside, he said, in answer to my 
bantering about his “ spill”— 

“ I am in no humour for jesting. Your syce is 
iost!” 

“ Drowned ?” 

“ No ; eaten !—by an enormous crocodile !” 

He added that, on arriving at a small nulla about 
two miles ’off, he found it so much swollen by rain, that 
he had to swim his horse across it, holding one end of 
the cord which Sidhoo, in common with most Hindoos, 
wore coiled around his waist, and which was used in 
pulling water from the deep wells of the country. Hall 
got safely across, and then commenced pulling Sidhoo 
over by means of the cord. The black face, with the 
white teeth and turban, were bobbing above the muddy 
water, when all at once the groom threw up his arms, 
gave a loud shriek, and sank below the surface. Mr. 
Hall, who had doubled the cord round his hand, was 
dragged into the water; where he got a momentary 
glimpse of the long serrated tail of a Mugger, lashing 
the water a short way ahead of him. In his efforts to 
save himself, he lost his hold of the string, and with 
much difficulty clambered up the slippery bank of the 
nulla. All was now still. Only Sidhoo’s turban was 
o be seen floating loosely, a considerable way down 
the stream. Hall ran toward it, with a sort of feeling 
which makes a drowning man catch at a straw; and, 
by means of a stick he succeeded in fishing it out, and 
brought it with him, as the only remnant of Sidhoo he 
could give an account of. 


THE CROCODILE BATTERY. 


837 


Bad news soon spreads in an Indian village, and 
Sidhoo’s fate was soon made known to his wife; and 
in a short time she came crying and sobbing to the 
bungalow, and laid her youngest child at our friend’s 
feet. The tears glistened in the poor fellow’s eyes as 
he tried to soothe and console her; which he did by 
promising to provide for her and her children. 

Although Hall was generally running over with fun, 
ve smoked our cheroots that evening in silence; except 
when we proposed schemes for the annihilation of the 
crocodiles. A great many plans were discussed—but 
none that offered much chance of success. The next 
day, after breakfast, I was showing my visitor a gal¬ 
vanic blasting apparatus, lately received from England, 
for blowing up the snags (stumps of trees) which ob¬ 
struct the navigation of the river. I was explaining its 
mode of action to him, when he suddenly interrupted 
me— 

“ The very thing! Instead of snags, why not blow 
up the Muggers ?” 

I confessed that there could be no reason why we 
should not blast the Muggers. The difficulty was only 
how to manage it; yet the more we talked of it, the 
more feasible did the scheme appear. 

The brutes keep pretty constant to the same quarters, 
when the fish are plentiful; and we soon ascertained 
that poor Sidhoo’s murderer was well known in the 
neighbourhood of the nulla. He had on several occa¬ 
sions carried off goats, sheep, pigs, and children; and 
had once attempted to drag a buffalo, whom he had 
caught drinking, into the water; but, from all accounts, 
came off second best in this rencontre. There not 
29 


338 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


being enough of water in the nulla to drown the buffalo, 
the Mugger soon found he had caught a Tartar; and 
after being well mauled bj the buffalo’s horns, he was 
fain to scuttle off and hide himself among the mud. 

I had observed, when blasting the snags, that the 
concussion produced by the discharge had the effect of 
killing all the fish within a range of some twenty or 
thirty yards. After every explosion, they were found 
in great numbers, floating on the surface of the water 
with their bellies uppermost. It now occurred to me, 
that if we could only get within a moderate distance 
of the Mugger, if we did not blow him to pieces, we 
would at all events give a shock that would rather 
astonish him. An explosion of gunpowder under water 
communicates a much severer shock to the objects in 
its immediate vicinity, than the same quantity of pow¬ 
der exploded in the air ; the greater density of the 
water enabling it, as it were, to give a harder blow. 

Having made our arrangements, Mr. Hall, my bro¬ 
ther, and myself, got into a small canoe, with the 
blasting apparatus on board, and dropt down the 
stream to where the nulla discharged its waters into 
the Rohan. He then got out and proceeded to a 
village close by, where we obtained for a few annas, 
the carcass of a young kid. A flask with about six 
pounds of gunpowder, and having the conducting wires 
attached, was then sewn into the kid’s belly. Two 
strong ropes were also tied to this bait; and, to one 
of these, the conducting wire was firmly bound with 
small cord. The ropes were about thirty yards long, 
and had each attached to its extremities one of the 
inflated goat-skins used by water-carriers. Hall, with 


THE CROCODILE BATTERY. 


839 


nis goat-skin under his arm, and a coil of loose rope in 
his hand, took one side of the nulla, while my brother, 
similarly provided, took the other. My brother’s rope 
contained the wire; so I walked beside him, while two 
coolies, with the battery ready charged, and slung to 
a pole which rested on their shoulders, accompanied 
me. A small float was also attached by a string to the 
kid, so as to indicate its position. 

These arrangements being made, we commenced 
walking up the nulla, dragging the carcass of the kid 
in the stream, and moving it across, from side to side, 
so as to leave no part of the bed untried; and, as the 
nulla was only about twelve yards wide, we felt pretty 
confident that, if the Mugger were in it, we could 
scarcely fail of coming in contact with him. We had 
proceeded only about a quarter of a mile, when the 
float suddenly dipt. My brother and Hall threw the 
loose coil of ropes they carried on the water, along 
with the inflated skins. These made it soon evident 
by their motion that the Mugger had seized the kid. 
He was dashing across, in a zig-zag direction, down the 
stream. I ran after him as fast as I could ; and paying 
out the cord from the reel, when I found it impossible to 
keep up with him. On reaching a place where the banks 
were steeper than usual, he came to a stand still. I got 
on the top of the bank, and commenced hauling in the 
rope. I did not, however, venture to lift the skin out 
of the water, for fear of disturbing him, until the coolies 
with the battery had time to come up. This was a 
very anxious time; for, if the Mugger had shifted his 
quarters before they came up, a fresh run with him 
would have ensued, with the chance of his breaking the 


340 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES 


wires with his teeth. After a while I heard the coolies 
approaching, and my brother scolding them, and urging 
them to hasten on. Just as their heads appeared 
above the bank, the foremost coolie tripped his 
foot and fell—I groaned with disappointment—pre¬ 
sently, my brother came along with them, and brought 
the battery to my feet; a good deal of the acid had 
been spilt, but, with the aid of a bottle of fresh acid 
we had brought along with us, we soon got the battery 
up to the requisite power. Every thing being now in 
order, I commenced pulling up the rope with the wire. 
I proceeded as cautiously as possible for fear of dis¬ 
turbing the Mugger; but, in spite of all my efforts, the 
inflated skin, in coming up the bank, dislodged some # 
loose pieces of earth, and sent them splashing into the 
water. Fortunately, however, the Mugger had made 
up his mind to digest the kid where he was. I could 
not help chuckling when I at length got hold of the 
ends of the wires. While my brother was fastening 
one of them to the battery, I got the other ready for 
completing the circuit. The Mugger all the while 
lying still at the bottom of the nulla with, most likely, 
a couple of fathoms of water over his head, unconcious 
of danger, and little dreaming that the two-legged 
creatures on the bank had got a nerve communicating 
with his stomach, through which they were going to 
send a flash of lightning that would shatter his scaly 
hulk to pieces. 

Every thing being now ready, I made the fatal con¬ 
tact. Our success was complete ! We felt a shock, as 
if something had fallen down the bank—a mound of 
muddy water rose, with a muffled, rumbling sound, and 






SIDHOO’S MUGGEP, 


I 




* 


/ 



vi 

























THE CROCODILE BATTERY. 


348 


then burst out too a column of dark smoke. A splash¬ 
ing and bubbling succeeded, and then a great crimson 
patch floated on the water, like a variegated carpet 
pattern. Strange-looking fragments of scaly skin wer 
picked up by the natives from the water’s edge, and 
brought to us amidst a very general rejoicing. The 
exploded Mugger floated down the stream, and the 
current soon carried it out of sight. We were not at 
all sorry, for it looked such a horrible mess that we 
felt no desire to examine it. 

Our sense of triumphant satisfaction was, however, 
sadly damped about a week afterward, when we received 
the mortifying announcement, that Sidhoo’s Mugger 
was still alive, and on his old beat, apparently unin¬ 
jured. It was evident that we had blasted the wrong 
Mugger ! We consoled ourselves with the reflection, 
that if he were not Sidhoo’s murderer, it was very 
likely he was not wholly innocent of other atrocities, 
and therefore deserved his fate. 

Of course it was impossible to rest while Sidhoo’s 
Mugger remained alive, so we were not long in prepa¬ 
ring for a second expedition. This time we took the 
precaution of not charging the battery until we were 
certain that the bait was swallowed. The acid, diluted 
to the necessary strength, was, therefore, carried in 
one of those brown earthenware jars called gray-beards,* 
which had come out to us full of Glenlivet whiskey 
We commenced dragging the kid up the stream, as 
before; but, having walked more than a mile without 
getting a bite, we were getting rather disheartened, 
and sat down to rest, struck a light, and smoked a 
cheroot. Hall laid down, having manufactured an 


344 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


impromptu easy chair out of his coil of rope, with the 
inflated goat-skin placed above it. My brother was 
not long in imitating his example, and I laid down 
under the shade of some reeds, near to the water’s 
edge. The heat was oppressive, and we were discuss¬ 
ing the probability of getting a bite that day, and 
lamenting that we had not brought some pale ale along 
with us, when, all at once, I got a sharp blow on the 
leg, while my brother came spinning down the bank 
like a teetotem—a companion picture to Hall, who 
was revolving down the opposite bank. The ropes and 
skins went rushing down the nulla at a tremendous 
pace. As soon as we recovered from the laughter into 
which we were thrown by this droll contretemps, we 
set off in pursuit, guided by the track which the inflated 
skins made in the water. On they went, dashing from 
side to side, as they had done in our first attempt. 
On coming to a place where the nulla made a sharp 
turn, they stood still under the high bank, on the inner 
curve of the bend. It unfortunately happened that 
the bank, near to which the skins were floating, was 
too precipitous for us to get near them, without start¬ 
ing the Mugger from his present position. With much 
labour, we detached some loose sods from the top of 
the bank, and sent them with a loud splash into the 
water, directly over where we imagined him to have 
taken up his quarters. This had the desired effect, for 
the skins began to move slowly down the stream, 
as if the Mugger were crawling leisurely along the 
bottom. 

Leaving my brother with the coolies in charge of 
the battery, I ran on to where the bank was moro 


THE CROCODILE BATTERY. 


345 


shelving. By good luck, the stream was rushing up, 
after its sudden sweep, and sent a strong current 
against this bank. I had not waited many minutes, 
before the skins came floating round the corner, to 
where I was standing. I seized the one to which the 
wire was attached, desiring my brother to charge the 
battery, and bring it down. This he did much sooner 
than I could have expected; for, as the battery was 
now empty, one coolie was able to carry it on his head, 
while my brother took the jar of acid in his hand. It 
was evident from the motion of the other skin in the 
water that the Mugger was still moving—so no time 
was to be lost. I made the connection with the battery 
with one of the wires; in another instant the circuit 
was complete, and the Mugger’s doom sealed. 

There was a momentary pause—owing, I suppose, to 
6ome slight loss of insulation in the wires—then came 
the premonitory shock, then the rumble, the smoke, 
and the sparks; and a great bloated mass of flesh and 
blood rose to the surface of the water. Hall called out 
to us to drag it ashore, and see whether we could get 
any trace of poor Sidhoo. We tried by means of a 
bamboo pole to pull it to the bank, but the glimpse we 
got of it as it neared was so unutterably disgusting, 
that we pushed it off again, and allowed it to float away 
down with .the current. 

That this was Sidhoo’s Mugger, there could be 
no doubt; for he was never seen or heard of in the 
neighbourhood again. 


SHIPWRECK AT KING’S ISLAND. 



N the 20th of April, 1849, 
the ship Cataraque, Cap¬ 
tain C. W. Findlay, sailed 
from Liverpoool, having 
on board 360 emigrants, 
and a crew, including two 


doctors, of forty-six souls. 
j BS The emigrants were chief- 
ggf ly from different parts of 


England. On the 3d of 


August, about 7 o’clock in the evening, in consequence 
of a tremendous gale, the ship was hove to, and con¬ 
tinued lying so until the middle of the afternoon of the 
next day, when she struck on a reef on the west coast 
of King’s Island, at the entrance of Bass’ Straits. 

Immediately after the vessel struck, it was ascer¬ 
tained that she had four feet of water in the hold. A 
fearful scene of confusion ensued. The passengers 
attempted to rush upon deck, and many succeeded, 
until the heaving of the vessel knocked down the lad¬ 
ders, when the shrieks of those below, who anticipated 
destruction, were awful. 

The crew was employed in helping up the passen¬ 
gers, and three hundred were on deck when the vessel 
began breaking up. The day dawned. The stern of 
the vessel was found to be driven in, and many bodies 








LOSS OF THE CATARAUQUE. 














































































































































































































SHIPWRECK AT KING S ISLAND. 


349 


were seen floating round the ship. About two hundred 
of the passengers and crew held on to the vessel, al¬ 
though the sea was breaking over her, and every wave 
washed some of them to a watery grave. Things con¬ 
tinued in this condition until four in the afternoon, 
when the vessel parted amidships, and between eighty 
and a hundred persons were thrown into the waves. 
Thus the insatiable sea swallowed its prey piecemeal. 
About five the wreck parted by the fore-rigging, and so 
many were thrown into the ocean, that only seventy 
persons were left in the forecastle, they being lashed to 
the wreck. Even these were gradually diminished in 
number, some giving out from exhaustion, and others 
anticipating fate by drowning themselves. 

When the next day dawned, but thirty persons were 
left alive, and these were almost exhausted. The sea 
was making a clean breach into the forecastle, the 
deck of which was rapidly breaking up. Parents and 
children, husbands and wives, were seen floating round 
the vessel, locked in the last embrace. Soon after day¬ 
light the vessel was entirely broken up, and out of 423 
persons who had been on board the vessel, only nine 
were saved by being washed on shore, and these were 
nearly exhausted. 


ADVENTURE AND EXPLOIT OF TWO 
GUIDES. 


HRISTOPHER CAR- 
SON and Alexander Go- 
dey accompanied Colonel 
Fremont in his exploring 
expedition, across the 
plains and mountains to 
the Pacific, acting as 
guides and hunters. They 
were distinguished for 
their daring, skill, and 
hardihood, and on every occasion displayed their in¬ 
domitable character. 

One of their exploits is thus recorded by Col. Fre¬ 
mont, in his very interesting ‘‘Narrative:—” 

In the afternoon we were surprised by the sudden 
appearance in the camp of two Mexicans—a man and 
a boy. The name of the man was Andreas Fuentes ; 
and that of the boy (a handsome lad, 11 years old,) 
Pablo Hernandez. They belonged to a party consist¬ 
ing of six persons, the remaining four being the wife 
of Fuentes, and the father and mother of Pablo, and 
Santiago Giacome, a resident of New Mexico. With a 
cavalcade of about thirty horses, they had come out 
from Puebla de los Angeles, near the coast, under the 
guidance of Giacome, in advance of the great caravan, 
(350) 












V 




































ADVENTURE AND EXPLOIT OF TWO GUIDES. 353 

in order to travel more at leisure and obtain better 
grass. Having advanced as far into the desert as was 
considered consistent with their safety, they halted at 
the Archilette , one of the customary camping grounds, 
about 80 miles from our encampment, where there is a 
spring of good water, with sufficient grass; and com 
eluded to await there the arrival of the great Caravan. 
Several Indians were soon discovered lurking about the 
camp, who, in a day or two after, came in, and, after 
behaving in a very friendly manner, took their leave, 
without awakening any suspicions. Their deportment 
begat a security which proved fatal. In a few days 
afterwards, suddenly a party of about one huudred 
Indians appeared in sight, advancing towards the camp. 
It was too late, or they seemed not to have presence 
of mind to take proper measures of safety; and the 
Indians charged down into their camp, shouting as they 
advanced, and discharging flights of arrows. Pablo 
and Fuentes were on horse guard at the time, and 
mounted according to the custom of the country. One 
of the principal objects of the Indians was to get pos¬ 
session of the horses, and part of them immediately 
surrounded the band; but, in obedience to the shouts 
of Giacome, Fuentes drove the animals over and through 
the assailants, in spite of their arrows; and, abandon¬ 
ing the rest to their fate, carried them off at speed 
across the plain. Knowing that they would be pur¬ 
sued by the Indians, without making any halt except to 
shift their saddles to other horses, they drove them on 
for about sixty miles, and this morning left them at a 
watering place on the trail called Agua de Tomaso. 
Without giving themselves any time for rest, they hur- 
30* 


354 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


ried on, hoping to meet the Spanish Caravan, when they 
discovered my camp. I received them kindly, taking 
them into my own mess, and promised them such aid 
as circumstances might put it in my power to give. 

April 25.—We left the river abruptly, and, turning 
to the north, regained in a few miles the main trail 
(which had left the river sooner than ourselves,) and 
continued our way across a lower ridge of the moun¬ 
tain, through a miserable tract of sand and gravel. 
We crossed at intervals the broad beds of dry gullies, 
where in the season of rains and melting snows there 
would be brooks or rivulets; and at one of these where 
there was no indication of water, were several freshly- 
dug holes, in which there was water at the depth of 
two feet. These holes had been dug by the wolves, 
whose keen sense of smell had scented the water under 
the dry sand. They were nice little wells, narrow, and 
dug straight down, and we got pleasant water out of 
them. 

Beyond the first ridge, our road bore a little to the 
east of north, towards a gap in a higher line of moun¬ 
tains ; and, after travelling about twenty-five miles, we 
arrived at the Agua de Tomaso —the spring where the 
horses had been left; but, as we expected, they were 
gone. A brief examination of the ground convinced 
us that they had been driven off by the Indians. Car¬ 
on and Godey volunteered with the Mexican to pursue 
them; and, well-mounted, the three set off on the trail. 
At this stopping place there were a few bushes and 
very little grass. Its water was a pool; but near by 
Was a spring, which had been dug out by Indians or 


ADVENTURE AND EXPLOIT OF TWO GUIDES. 355 

travellers. Its water was cool—a great refreshment to 
us under a burning sun. 

In the evening Fuentes returned, his horse having 
failed; but Carson and Godey had continued the 
pursuit. 

In the afternoon of the next day, a war-whoop was 
heard, such as Indians make when returning from a 
victorious enterprise; and soon Carson and Godey 
appeared, driving before them a band of horses, recog¬ 
nised by Fuentes-to be part of those they had lost. 
Two bloody scalps, dangling from the end of Godey’s 
gun, announced that they had overtaken the Indians 
as well as the horses. They informed us, that after 
Fuentes left them, from the failure of his horse, they 
continued the pursuit alone, and towards nightfall 
entered the mountains, into which the trail led. After 
sunset the moon gave light, and they followed the trail 
by moonshine until late in the night, when it entered a 
narrow defile, and was difficult to follow. Afraid of 
losing it in the darkness of the defile, they tied up their 
horses, struck no fire, and lay down to sleep in silence 
and in darkness. Here they lay from midnight till 
morning. At daylight they resumed the pursuit, and 
about sunrise discovered the horses; and, immediately 
dismounting and tying up their own, they crept cau ¬ 
tiously to a rising ground which intervened, from the 
crest of which they perceived the encampment of four 
lodges close by. They proceeded quietly, and had got 
within thirty or forty yards of their object, when a 
movement among the horses discovered them to the 
Indians; giving the war-shout they instantly charged 


356 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


into the camp, regardless of the number which the four 
lodges would imply. 

The Indians received them with a flight of arrows 
shot from their long bows, one of which passed through 
Godey’s shirt collar, barely missing the neck; our men 
fired their rifles upon a steady aim, and rushed in. 
Two Indians were stretched on the ground, fatally 
pierced with bullets; the rest fled, except a lad that 
was captured. The scalps of the fallen were instantly 
stripped off; but in the process, one of them, who had 
two balls through his body, sprung to his feet, the blood 
streaming from his skinned head, and uttered a hide¬ 
ous howl. An old squaw, possibly his mother, stopped 
and looked back from the mountain side she was climb¬ 
ing, threatening and lamenting. The frightful spec¬ 
tacle appalled the stout hearts of our men ; but they did 
what humanity required, and quickly terminated the 
agonies of the gory savage. They were now masters 
of the camp, which was a pretty little recess in the 
mountain, with a fine spring, and apparently safe from 
all invasion. 

Great preparations had been made to feast a large 
party, for it was a very proper place for a rendezvous, 
and for the celebration of such orgies as robbers of the 
desert would delight in. Several of the best horses 
had been killed, skinned, and cut up; for the Indians 
iving in mountains, and only coming in the plains to 
rob and murder make no other use of horses than to 
eat them. Large earthen vessels were on the fire, 
boiling and stewing the horse beef; and several baskets, 
containing fifty or sixty pairs of moccasins, indicated 
the presence or expectation of a considerable party. 


ADVENTURE AND EXPLOIT OF TWO GUIDES. 357 

They released the boy, who had given strong evidence 
of the stoicism, or something else of the savage charac¬ 
ter, in commencing his breakfast upon a horse’s head 
as soon as he found he was not to be killed, but only 
tied as a prisoner. Their object accomplished, our men 
gathered up all the surviving horses, fifteen in number, 
returned upon their trail, and rejoined us at our camp 
in the afternoon of the same day. They had rode 
about 100 miles in the pursuit and return, and all in 
thirty hours. The time, place, object, and numbers 
considered, this expedition of Carson and Godey may 
be considered among the boldest and most disinterested 
which the annals of western adventure, so full of daring 
deeds, can present. Two men, in a savage desert, pur¬ 
sue day and night an unknown body of Indians into 
the defiles of an unknown mountain—attack them on 
sight, without counting numbers—and defeat them in 
an instant—and for what ? To punish the robbers of 
the desert, and to avenge the wrongs of Mexicans 
whom they did not know. I repeat: it was Carson 
and Godey who did this—the former an American, 
born in the Boonslick county of Missouri, the latter a 
Frenchman, born in St. Louis—and both trained to 
western enterprise from early life. 


DESTRUCTION OF AN EAST INDIAMAN 
BY FIRE. 



HAT more terrible can be imagined 
than a ship laden with human beings 
on fire while at sea ? The alterna¬ 
tive is to be burned or drowned. On 
every side death stares the unfortu¬ 
nate wretches in the face, and even 
their earnest prayers to heaven avail 


them not. 

The burning of the large East Indiaman, the Kent, 
in the Bay of Biscay, although not so great a disaster 
as many others in the annals of the ocean, had many 
fearful features. The ship had 641 persons on board 
at the time of the accident. The fire was first disco¬ 
vered in the hold during a storm. An officer on duty 
finding that a spirit cask had broken loose, was trying 
to secure it, when a lurch of the ship caused him to 
drop his lantern, and in his eagerness to save it, he let 
go the cask, which suddenly stove in, and the spirits 
communicating with the flame, the whole plane was 
soon in a blaze. Hopes of subduing the fire were at 
first entertained, but heavy volumes of smoke and a 
pitchy smell told that it had reached the cable-room. 

The captain then ordered the decks to be scuttled, 
to admit water. This was done, several seamen being 



DESTRUCTION OF AN EAST INDIA MAN BY FIRE. 




















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































• 
















r 


. * 


/ 




/ 

:S,; • 



















* 











-• • 
























































- 



















































k 


i'i i 










































* 


I 










DESTRUCTION OF AN EAST INDIAMAN BY FIRE. 361 

suffocated by the smoke while executing the order. But 
now danger appeared in another shape. The sea 
rushed in so furiously that the ship was becoming 
water-logged, and fears were entertained that she would 
go down. Between six and seven hundred human 
beings were on deck by this time. ’ Many were on 
their knees, praying for the aid of heaven. Some 
shrieked; others fainted; while some old, stout-hearted 
sailors seated themselves directly over the powder 
magazine, expecting an explosion every moment, and 
thinking thus to put a speedier end to their torture. 
In this time of general despair, the fourth mate thought 
to send to the foremast, hoping that a friendly sail 
might be in sight. The man at the fore top looked 
round him. It was a moment of intense anxiety. The 
fire was rapidly gaining upon the ship, and the sea was 
dashing and foaming on every side. Suddenly the 
sailor shouted, “ A sail, on the lee-bow !” Three loud 
cheers burst from those on the deck, for they now con¬ 
sidered themselves safe. 

Signals of distress were hoisted, and the minute guns 
were fired continuously. The vessel in sight proved to 
be a brig. For about a quarter of an hour, the crew 
of the Kent doubted whether their signals were per¬ 
ceived ; but after a period of dreadful suspense, they 
saw the British colours hoisted, and the brig making 
towards them. The crew of the Kent then got the 
boats ready. The first was filled with women-passen- 
gers and officers’ wives—and was lowered into a sea so 
tempestuous as to leave small hope of their reaching 
the brig; but they succeeded in getting safely aboard. 
After the first trip it was found impossible for the 
31 


362 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


boats to come alongside of the Kent, and the women 
and children suffered dreadfully in being lowered over 
the stern into them by means of ropes. At length 
when all had been removed from the burning vessel, 
but a few, who were so overcome by fear as to refuse 
to make the attempt to reach the brig, the captain 
quitted his ill-fated vessel. The flames which had 
spread along her upper deck, now mounted rapidly to 
the masts and rigging, lighting up the heavens to a 
great distance. One by one her stately masts fell over 
her sides. By half-past one in the morning, the fire 
reached the powder magazine; the expected explosion 
occurred, and the burning fragments of the vessel were 
thrown high in the air, and strewed in every direction. 

The brig was named the Cambria, was commanded 
by Captain Cook, and was bound to Yera Cruz. She 
made all speed for the nearest port, which was Ports¬ 
mouth, and arrived there safely on the 3d of March, 
1825. Fourteen of the poor creatures left on the Kent, 
were rescued by another ship, the Caroline, on her 
passage from Alexandria to Liverpool. Thus were 
hundreds of people saved from a dreadful death by the 
providential approach of a friendly vessel. The energy 
and devotion of the captain of the Kent cannot receive 
too much praise. 












TYROLESE. 


# 


ADVENTURES IN THE TYROL. 

EALTHY Englishmen and 
Frenchmen who have lei¬ 
sure, frequently visit th 
wild region of the Tyrol, 
and engage in its hardy 
and invigorating sports. 
Of these, chamois hunting 
the most common as well as the most famous. This 




364 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


is attended with the greatest dangers, but these are its 
charms in the estimation of the daring ^nd resolute. 
A recent English tourist has given to the public a 
thrilling account of a hunting adventure in which he 
was the chief actor. We quote :— 

We were advancing along the base of the lowest tier 
of cliff, which had a sort of step of snow running along it 
about half-way up for some half-a-mile, bounded at one 
end by an immense mass of serees and precipices, and 
at the other by a sudden turn of the rock, when Joseph 
suddenly dashing off his hat and throwing himself pros¬ 
trate behind a stone, dragged me down beside him with 
a vicelike grasp, that left its mark on my arm for many 
a day after. Utterly taken aback at the suddenness 
of my prostration, I lay beside him, wondering at the 
change that had come over his face ; he was as white 
as marble, his moustache worked with intense excite¬ 
ment, and his eyeballs seemed starting from their sock¬ 
ets as he glared at the cliff. Following his line of 
sight, I glanced upwards, and my eye was instantly 
arrested by something—it moved—again—and again ! 
With shaking hand I directed the telescope to the 
point, and there, at the end of it, hopping fearlessly 
on the shivered mountain side, scratching its ear with 
its hind foot, and nibbling daintily the scattered bits of 
gemsenkraut that sprung up between the stones, stood 
fearless and free—a chamois ! 

After watching him with intense interest for some 
moments, we drew back, scarcely daring to breathe, 
and, sheltering ourselves behind a large stone, held a 
council of war. It was evidently impossible to ap¬ 
proach him from where we were; we could not have 


ADVENTURES IN THE TYROL. 365 

moved ten steps towards him without the certainty of 
being discovered; our only chance was to get above 
him, and so cut him off from the higher ranges. 
Crawling backwards, we managed to place a low range 
of rock between ourselves and the cliffs, and then 
making a wide sweep, we reached their base at some dis¬ 
tance from where the chamois w T as feeding. 

After examining the precipice for some time, we 
found that the only mode of access to its summit, here 
some three or four hundred feet above us, w T as by a sort 
of ravine, what would be called in the Swiss Alps a 
chemin6e , a species of fracture in the strata, the bro¬ 
ken edges of which would give us some foot and hand 
hold: at its upper termination we could see the end of 
a small glacier, slightly overhanging the cliff, from 
which a small stream leapt from ledge to ledge, only 
alive in the last hour or two of sun-warmth, giving 
promises, which certainly were faithfully fulfilled, of 
additional slipperiness and discomfort. But we had no 
choice ; w r e had already spent nearly an hour in our 
cautious circuit. Our scramble, wherever it took place, 
would cost us nearly another before we got above our 
expected prey, and if we hesitated much longer, he 
might take a fancy to march off altogether in search 
of the rest of the herd. So up we went, dragging 
ourselves and each other up the w T et slippery rocks, 
getting a shivering “ swish” of ice-cold water in our 
faces every now and then, till we got about half-way 
up, when, just as we were resting for a moment to 
take breath, we heard a tremendous roar, followed by 
a splintering crash just above our heads, and had the 
pleasure of seeing the fragments of some half-a-ton of 

31* 


366 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


ice, which had fallen from the glacier above, fly out 
from the shelf of rock under which we were resting, 
and spin down the rugged path we had just ascended. 

Thinking that this was quite near enough to be 
pleasant, and “ calculating” that by every doctrine of 
chances the same thing would not happen twice in the 
same half hour, we scrambled ujp as fast as we could 
before the next instalment became due, and at las.t 
reached safely the top of the precipice. 

We certainly had not much to boast of as far as 
walking went, when we got there, for the snow and 
rocks were tumbled about in a very wild manner. If 
we slipped off a rock, we tumbled waist-deep into 
the soft, melting snow-drifts, and when we tumbled on 
the snow, there was always some lurking rock ready to 
remind us of his presence by a hearty thump; how¬ 
ever, as we were fairly above the chamois, our excite¬ 
ment carried us on. I do not think that Joseph swore 
once; we found afterwards indeed, to our cost, that in 
one of his involuntary summersets, he had broken the 
bottle, and narrowly escaped being bayonetted by the 
fragments; however, we did not know it then, and so 
scrambled on in contented ignorance, until we reached 
the spot on the cliffs to our right, which we had marked 
as being above our prey. Here, however, we found 
that it was impossible to get near enough to the edge 
to look over, as the fresh-fallen snow threatened to 
part company from the rock, and carry us with it, on 
the slightest indiscretion on our part. Crouching down 
in the snow, we listened for some hint of our friend’s 
whereabouts, and had not waited more than a minute 
when the faint clatter of a stone far below convinced 


.ADVENTURES IN THE TYROL. 


367 



CHAMOIS HUNTING. 


u& that he was on the move: keeping low, we wallowed 
ah og till we came to where the crest of the cliff, show 
ing a little above the snow, gave us a tolerable shelter; 
carefully crawling to the edge, we peeped over, and 
saw, as we expected, that the gems had shifted his 
quarters, and as luck would have it, was standing on 
the snow-bed half way up the cliff, immediately below 
us. 

Trembling, partly with excitement, and partly from 
the under-waistcoat of half-melted snow we had uncon¬ 
sciously assumed in our serpentine wrigglings, we lay 
and watched the graceful animal below us. He evi¬ 
dently had a presentiment that there was something “n( 
canny” about the mountain-side; some eddy had per¬ 
haps reached his delicate nostrils, laden with the taint of 
an intruder. With his head high in the air, and his ears 
pointed forwards, he stood examining—as wiser brutes 
than he sometimes do—every point of the compass but 














3G8 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


the right. One foot was advanced; one moment 
and he would have gone; when crack ! close to my ear 
just as I was screwing up my nerves for a long shot, 
went Joseph’s heavy rifle. With a sinking heart, I 
saw the brute take a tremendous bound, all four hoofs 
together, and then, like a rifle ball, glancing over the 
bosom of a calm lake, bound after bound carried him 
away and away over the snow field, and round the 
corner to our right, before I had recovered my senses 
sufficiently to take a desperate snap at him. 

What we said, or felt, or how we got over the face of 
that cliff, I know not. A dim recollection of falling 
stones and dust showering round us—pieces of treach¬ 
erous rock giving way in our hands and under our feet, 
bruising slides, and one desperate jump over the chasm 
between the cliff and the snow—and there we were 
both, standing pale and breathless, straining our eyes 
for some scarcely expected trace of blood to give us 
hope. 

Not a drop tinged the unsullied snow at the place 
where he had made his first mad bound, nor at the 
second, nor at the third; but a few paces further on, 
one ruby-tinged hole showed where the hot blood had 
sunk through the melting snow. 

Too excited to feel any uprising of envy, hatred, or 
malice against my more fortunate companion, I raced 
along the white incline, leaving him behind reloading 
his rifle—which was always a sort of solemn rite with 
him—and following, without difficulty, the deep inden¬ 
tations of the animal’s hoofs, I came to where the cliffs 
receded into a sort of small bay, with its patch of snow 
on the same plane with the one I was on, but sepa« 


ADVENTURES IN THE TYROL. 


369 


rated from it bj a rugged promontory of cliff and 
broken rock. Cautiously I scrambled round the point, 
removing many a stone that seemed inclined to fall 
and give the alarm to the watchful chamois, and peep¬ 
ing cautiously round the last mass of rock that sepa 
rated me from the snow patch, I saw the poor brute, 
standing not more than sixty yards from me, his hoofs 
drawn close together under him, ready for a desperate 
rush at the cliff at the first sound that reached him; 
his neck stretched out, and his muzzle nearly touching 
the snow, straining every sense to catch some inkling 
of the whereabouts of the mischief he felt was near 
him. 

With my face glowing as if it had been freshly blis¬ 
tered, a dryness and lumping in my throat, as if I had 
just escaped from an unsuccessful display of Mr. Cal- 
craft’s professional powers, and my heart thud-thud¬ 
ding against my ribs at such a rate that I really 
thought the gems must hear it in the stillness, I raised 
my carbine. Once, at the neck just behind the ear, I 
saw the brown hide clear at the end of the barrel, but 
I dared not risk such a chance ; and so, stringing my 
nerves, I shifted my aim to just behind the shoulder—• 
one touch of the cold trigger, and as the thin gases 
streamed off, rejoicing at their liberation, I saw the 
chamois shrink convulsively when the ball struck him, 
and then fall heavily on the snow, shot right through 
the heart. With a who-whoop ! that might have been 
heard half way to Innspruck, I rushed up to him;—■ 
one sweep of the knife—the red blood bubbled on to 
the snow that shrunk and wasted before its hot touch, 
as if it felt itself polluted, and there lay stretched out 


370 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


in all its beauty before me the first gems I ever killed 
—-just as Joseph came up, panting, yelling, and jod 
ling, and rejoicing at my success, without a shade of 
envy in his honest heart. 

Now I believe, in all propriety, we ought to have 
been melancholy, and moralized over the slain. That 
rich, soft black eye, filming over with the frothy breath 
of death, and that last convulsive kick of the hind legs, 
ought perhaps to have made us feel that we had done 
rather a brutal and selfish thing ; but they did not. 
This is a truthful narrative, and I must confess that 
our only feeling was one of unmixed rejoicing. 

I have occasionally moralized over a trout, flopping 
about amongst the daisies and buttercups, and dying 
that horible suffocation death of my causing; but it was 
never, if I remember right, the first trout I had killed 
that day. My feelings always get finer as my pannier 
gets fuller, particularly if it be a warm afternoon, and 
I have lunched . 

But as for the unfortunate gems, we rejoiced over 
him exceedingly; we shook hands over him; we sat 
beside him and on him; we examined him carefully, 
minutely, scientifically, from stem to stern. I firmly 
believed that I could pick him out at this moment from 
the thousand ghosts that attend the silver-horned Gem- 
sen Konig, if I had but the good luck to fall in with 
his majesty and his charmed suite. 

Joseph’s ball had struck him high up on the neck, 
but had not inflicted any thing like a severe wound. 
Had we fired on him from below, he would have scaled 
the cliffs in a moment, and been no more seen, at least 
by us; but as he knew that the mischief was above 


ADVENTURES IN THE TYROL. 


371 


him, he dared not ascend—to descend was impossible ; 
and so, getting to a certain extent pounded, he gave 
me the rare chance of a second shot. 

Long we sat and gazed at the chamois ; and the wild 
scene before us—never shall I forget it!—shut in on 
three sides by steep and frowning cliffs, in front the 
precipice, and far, far down, the wild, rocky valleys, 
divided by shivered ridges, rising higher and higher till 
they mounted up into the calm, pure snow-range, set 
in the frame of the jutting promontories on each side 
of us—looking the brighter and the “holier” from the 
comparative shade in which we were. Not a sound but 
the occasional faint “ swish” of the waterfall that 
drained from the snow-bed—not a living thing now but 
our two selves standing side by side on the snow. We 
had killed the third, and there he lay stiffening be¬ 
tween us. 





SPANISH COSTCM 


PERILOUS ADVENTURE OF LIEUTENANT 
SLIDELL IN SPAIN. 

IEUTENANT SLIDELL, 
of the United States Navy, 
published about twenty-one 
years since, his first book, 
entitled, “ A Year in 
Spain” It was pronounced 
by the British and American 
Reviews, the most lively, 
readable, and truthful book of travels which had ap- 











ADVENTURE OF LIEUTENANT SLIDELL. 373 

peared for a long time. Its description of characters 
and adventures in Spain, are perfectly graphic, and 
many of them were of the most thrilling interest. 

Of the latter description, we will now give a speci 
men :— 

The author takes his seat about two in the morning 
in the cabriolet or front part of a diligence from Tarra¬ 
gona, and gives many amusing particulars concerning 
his fellow-travellers, who, one after another, all surren¬ 
der themselves to slumber. Thus powerfully invited 
by the example of those near him, the Lieutenant 
catches the drowsy infection, and having nestled snugly 
into his corner, soon loses entirely the realities of ex¬ 
istence 6 in that mysterious state which providence has 
provided as a cure for every ill.’ In short, he is in¬ 
dulged with a dream, which transports him into the 
midst of his own family circle beyond the Atlantic ; 
but from this comfortable and sentimental nap he is 
soon aroused by the sudden stopping of the diligence, 
and a loud clamour all about him. 

“ There were voices without, speaking in accents of 
violence, and whose idiom was not of my country. I 
roused myself, rubbed my eyes, and directed them out 
of the windows. By the light of a lantern that blazed 
from the top of the diligence, I could discover that this 
part of the road w T as skirted by olive-trees, and that 
the mules, having come in contactWith some obstacle 
to their progress, had been thrown into confusion, and 
stood huddled together, as if afraid to move, gazir^g 
upon each other, with pricked ears and frightened as¬ 
pect. A single glance to the right hand gave a clue 
to the mystery. Just beside the fore-wheel of the 
32 


374 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


diligence stood a man, dressed in that wild garb of 
Valencia which I had seen for the first time in Am- 
posta : his red cap, which flaunted far down his back, 
was in front drawn closely over his forehead ; and his 
striped manta, instead of being rolled around him, hung 
unembarrassed from one shoulder. Whilst his left leg 
was thrown forward in preparation, a musket was 
levelled in his hands, along the barrel ofVhich his eye 
glared fiercely upon the visage of the conductor. «On 
the other side the scene was somewhat different. 
Pepe (the postilion) being awake w T hen the interruption 
took place, was at once sensible of its nature. He 
had abandoned the reins, and jumped from his seat to 
the road-side, intending to escape among the trees. 
Unhappy youth, that he should not have accomplished 
his purpose! He w’as met by the muzzle of a musket 
when he had scarce touched the ground, and a third 
ruffian appearing at the same moment from the 
treacherous concealment of the very trees towards 
which he was flying, he was effectually taken and 
brought round into the road, where he was made to 
stretch himself upon his face, as had already been done 
with the conductor. 

“ I could now distinctly hear one of these robbers— 
for such they were—inquire in Spanish of the mayoral 
as to the number of passengers ; if any were armed; 
whether there was -any money in the diligence ; and 
then, as a conclusion to the interrogatory, demanding 
La Bolsa ! in a more angry tone. The poor fellow 
meekly obeyed: he raised himself high enough to draw 
a large leathern purse from an inner pocket, and 
stretching his hand upward to deliver it, said, Toma 


ADVENTURE OF LIEUTENANT SLIDELL. 375 

usted, caballero , pero no me quita usted la Vida! 
“ Take it, cavalier; but do not take away my life !" 
The robber, however, was pitiless. Bringing a stone 
from a large heap, collected for the repair of the road, 
he fell to beating the mayoral upon the head with it 
The unhappy man sent forth the most piteous cries foi 
misericordia and piedad. He might as - well have 
asked pity of the stone that smote him, as of the 
wretch who wielded it. In his agony he invoked Jesu 
Christo , Santiago Apostol y Martir , La Virgin del 
Pilar , and all those sacred names held in awful reve¬ 
rence by the people, and most likely to arrest the rage 
of his assassin. All in vain : the murderer redoubled 
his blows, until growing furious in his task, he laid his 
musket beside him, and worked with both hands upon 
his victim. The cries for pity which blows at first ex¬ 
cited, blows at length quelled. They had gradually 
increased with the suffering to the most terrible shrieks ; 
then declined into low and inarticulate moans; until a 
deep drawn and agonized gasp for breath, and an oc¬ 
casional convulsion, alone remained to show that the 
vital principle had not yet departed. 

“ It fared even worse with Pepe, though, instead of 
the cries for pity, which had availed the mayoral so 
little, he uttered nothing but low moans that died away 
in the dust beneath. One might have thought that 
the extreme youth of the lad would have ensured him 
compassion: but no such thing. The robbers were 
doubtless of Amposta, and, being known to him, 
dreaded discovery. When both the victims had been 
rendered insensible, there was a short pause, and a 
consultation : n a low tone between the ruffians; 


376 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


who then proceeded to execute' their plans. The 
first went round to the left side of the diligence, 
and, having unhooked the iron shoe and placed it 
under the wheel, as an additional security against 
escape, opened the door of the interior, and mounted 
on the steps. I could hear him distinctly utter a ter¬ 
rible threat in Spanish, and demand an ounce of 
gold from each of the passengers. This was an¬ 
swered by an expostulation from the Yalencian shop¬ 
keeper, who said that they had not so much money, 
but what they had would be given willingly. There 
was then a jingling of purses, some pieces dropping 
on the floor in the hurry and agitation of the mo¬ 
ment. Having remained a short time at the door 
of the interior, he did not come to the cabriolet, 
but passed at once to the rotunda. Here he used 
greater caution, doubtless from having seen the even¬ 
ing before, at Amposta, that it contained no women, 
but six young students, who w r ere all stout fellows. 
They were made to come down, one by one, from 
their strong hold, deliver their money and watches, 
and then lie flat upon their faces in the road. 

“ Meanwhile, the second robber, after consulting 
with his companion, returned to the spot where the 
zagal Pepe lay rolling from side to side. As he 
went towards him, he drew a knife from the folds 
of his sash, and having opened it, placed one of his 
naked legs on either side of his victim. Pushing 
aside the jacket of the youth, he bent forward and 
dealt him repeated blows in every part of the body. 
The young priest, my companion, shrunk back shud¬ 
dering into his corner, and hid his face within his 


ADVENTURE OF LIEUTENANT SLIDELL. 377 

trembling fingers ; but my own eyes seemed spell¬ 
bound, for I could not withdraw them from the cruel 
spectacle, and my ears were more sensible than ever. 
Though the windows at the front and sides were 
still closed, I could distinctly hear each stroke of the 
murderous knife, as it entered its victim. It was not 
a blunt sound as of a weapon that meets with posi¬ 
tive resistance ; but a hissing noise, as if the household 
implement, made to part the bread of peace, per¬ 
formed unwillingly its task of treachery. This mo¬ 
ment was the unhappiest of my life ; and it struck me 
at the time, that if any situation could be more worthy 
of pity, than to die the dog’s death of poor Pepe, it 
was to be compelled to witness his fate, without the 
power to aid him. 

“ Having completed the deed to his satisfaction, 
this cold-blooded murderer came to the door of the 
cabriolet, and endeavoured to open it. He shook it 
violently, calling to us to assist him; but it had 
chanced hitherto that we had always got out on the 
other side, and the young priest, who had never before 
been in a diligence, thought, from the circumstance, 
that there was but one door, and therefore answered 
the fellow that he must go to the other side. On the 
first arrival of these unwelcome visiters, I had taken a 
valuable watch which I wore from my waistcoat pocket, 
and slipped it into my boot: but when they fell to beating 
in the heads of our guides,' 1 1 bethought me that the 
few dollars I carried in my purse might not satisfy 
them, and replaced it again in readiness to be delivered 
at the shortest notice. These precautions were, how¬ 
ever, unnecessary. The third ruffian, who had con- 
32 * 


378 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


tinued to make the circuit of the diligence with his 
musket in his hand, paused a moment in the road 
ahead of us, and having placed his head to the ground as 
if to listen, presently came and spoke in an under tone 
to his companions. They stood for a moment over the 
mayoral and struck his head with the butts of their 
muskets, whilst the fellow who had before used the knife, 
returned to make a few farewell thrusts, and in another 
moment they had all disappeared from around us. 

“ In consequence of the darkness, w hich was only 
partially dispelled in front of the diligence by the lan¬ 
tern which had enabled me to see what occurred so im¬ 
mediately before me, we were not at once sensible of the 
departure of the robbers, but continued near half an 
hour after their disappearance in the same situation in 
which they left us. The short breathings, and the 
chattering of teeth, lately so audible from within the 
interior, gradually subsided, and w^ere succeeded by 
whispers of the females, and soon after by words pro¬ 
nounced in a louder tone; whilst our mangled guides, 
by groans and writhings, gave evidence of returning 
animation. 

“ Our first care, when thus left to ourselves, was to 
see if any thing could be done for our unfortunate 
guides. We found them rolling over in the dust, and 
moaning inarticulately, excepting that the conductor 
would occasionally murmur forth some of those sainted 
names whose aid he had vainly invoked in the moment 
of tribulation. Having taken down the light from the 
top of the coach, we found them so much disfigured wdth 
bruises and with blood that recognition would have 
been impossible. The finery of poor Pepe, his silver 


ADVENTURE OF LIEUTENANT SLIDELL. 379 


buttons and his sash of silk were scarcely less dis¬ 
figured than his features. There happened to he in 
our party a student of medicine, who now took the lead 
in the Samaritan office of binding, with pieces of linen 
and pocket handkerchiefs, the wounds of these un¬ 
happy men.” 

The wounded men were at length placed in a cart, 
and sent back slowly to Amposta, the mayoral show¬ 
ing some signs of returning sensibility, but the unfor 
tunate Pepe evidently in his last agony. The diligence 
proceeded on its route, and stopped to breakfast at 
Vinaroz. 

The kitchen of the posada at Vinaroz offered a scene 
of unusual confusion. The hostess was no other than 
the mother of Pepe, a very decent-looking Catalan 
woman, who, I understood, had been sent there the 
year before by the Diligence Company, which is con¬ 
cerned in all the inns at which their coaches stop 
throughout the line. She had already been told of the 
probable fate of her son, and was preparing to set off 
for Amposta in the deepest affliction; and yet her 
sorrow, though evidently real, was singularly combined 
with her habitual household cares. The unusual de¬ 
mand for breakfast by fourteen hungry passengers had 
created some little confusion, and the poor woman, in¬ 
stead of leaving these matters to take care of them¬ 
selves, felt the force of habit, and was issuing a variety 
of orders to her assistant; nor was she unmindful of 
her appearance, but had already changed her frock and 
stockings, and thrown on her mantilla, preparatory to 
departure. It was indeed a singular and piteous 
sight to see the poor perplexed woman changing some 


380 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


fish that were frying, lest they should be burnt on one 
side, adjusting and repinning her mantilla, and sobbing 
and crying all the while. When the man came, how¬ 
ever, to say that the mule was in readiness, every thing 
was forgotten but the feelings of the mother, and she 
hurried off in deep and unsuppressed affliction. 

This picture of a mother’s affliction mingled with her 
habitual household cares is singularly touching, and, 
being drawn from fact, shows us the truth to nature 
of one of Scott’s scenes in the 4 Antiquary,’ where a 
similar conflict takes place in the mind of the poor 
fisherman’s wife who had lost her son—an exquisite 
touch, rthy of the great master that struck it off, 
and, indeed, only to be effected by a master hand. 

We may as well add here the catastrophe of this 
tragical tale. From information received by the Lieu¬ 
tenant, after his arrival in Madrid, it appears that poor 
Pepe breathed his last about eight hours after the 
attack, and long before his widowed mother could 
arrive to close the eyes of her child. The mayoral 
lingered for about a week, and then shared the fate of 
Pepe. The three robbers were detected and taken into 
custody; two of them were townsmen, and all three 
acquaintances of Pepe, whom they had doubtless 
murdered to prevent discovery. We ourselves passed 
over the scene of the robbery between two and three 
years after the event: there were two crosses to mark 
the bloody spot. The mayoral and the zagal of our 
diligence, the successors of those who had been mur¬ 
dered, pointed to the crosses with the sang froid with 
which Spaniards, from long habitude, contemplate 
mementos of the kind. The mayoral showed the very 


ADVENTURE OF LIEUTENANT SLIDELL. 381 


place where his predecessor had been beaten to death. 
On our expressing horror at the detail he readily con¬ 
curred, though he appeared more indignant at the 
manner in which the crime had been committed than 
at the crime itself. ‘ It is the ugliest thing (lo mas feo) 
that has been done in this neighbourhood for a long 
time past. Look you, sir, to shoot a man with a blun 
derbuss, or to stab him with a knife, is quite another 
kind of business; but to beat his brains out with a 
stone is to treat him, not like a Christian, but a dog!’ 
It was evident that a frequent occurrence of such scenes 
had rendered the mayoral a critic in the art of murder. 

After his dismal affair with the robbers, the Lieu¬ 
tenant pursued his journey to Madrid, meeting with 
no adventure of importance, though with a variety of 
pleasant incidents and characteristic personages, all 
which he describes with happy minuteness. 





SPANISH PRIEST AND PEASANT8 


ANOTHER ADVENTURE OF LIEUTENANT 
SLIDELL WITH ROBBERS IN SPAIN. 

E have given a tragical 
adventure with robbers 
during the Lieutenant’s 
journey to Madrid. We 
now present, as & pendant, 
a comic account of another 
robbery, which took place 
on his route to Cordova. 
Leaving Madrilejos, we 
travelled on, through a solitary country, until we came 
to the venta of Puerto Lapiche, the very house in 
which Don Quixote watched over his armour and was 
dubbed knight errant in the beginning of his adventur¬ 
ous career. The conductor had taken his seat beside 
me in the rotunda, and we were yet talking over the 
exploits of that renowned hero, when our conversation 






ADVENTURE WITH ROBBERS. 


383 


was suddenly and unceremoniously interrupted by the 
discharge of muskets, the loud shouting of eager, angry 
voices, and the clattering of many hoofs. HereJ in¬ 
deed, is an adventure, thought I. — 0 for Don Quixote 
to protect us! — In the next moment the diligence 
stopped, and on looking out at the window, the cause 
of this interruption became manifest. 

Our four guards were flying at a fearful rate, closely 
pursued by eight still more desperate-looking fellows, 
dressed in sheepskin jackets and breeches, with leathern 
leggings, and montera caps, or cotton handkerchiefs, 
on their heads. Each had four pistols at.his saddle¬ 
bow, a steel sabre at his side, a long knife thrust through 
the belt of his cartouch-box, and a carbine, in this 
moment of preparation, held across his .horse’s neck in 
front of him. It was an animated scene this—such as 
I had frequently before seen on canvass, in Wouver- 
man’s spirited little pictures of robber broils and battle 
scenes, but which I had-never before been so highly 
favoured as to witness in reality. 

Whilst this was going on in the road behind us, we 
were made to get down by one of the party who had 
been left to take care of us, and who now shouted in 
rapid succession the words, “ Ajo! a tierra! boca 
abajo , ladrones /” As this is the robber formula 
throughout Spain, its translation may not be unaccep¬ 
table to the reader. Let him learn, then, that ajo 
means garlic, and the remainder of the salutation, 
“ To the ground! mouths in the dust, robbers!” 
Though this formula was uttered with great volubility, 
the present was doubtless the first attempt of the per¬ 
son from whom it proceeded: a youth scarce turned 


384 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


of twenty, and evidently a novice—a mere Gil Bias— 
at the business. We did not, however, obey him the 
less quickly, and took our seats as ordered, upon the 
ground, in front of the mules and horses, so that they 
could only advance by passing over us; for he was so 
much agitated that his musket shook like the spout of 
a fire-engine, and we knew full well that in such situa¬ 
tions a frightened is not less to be dreaded than a furi¬ 
ous man. Our conductor, to whom this scene offered 
no novelty, and who was anxious to oblige our visitors, 
placed himself upon his hands and knees, like a frog 
when he is about to jump, and asked if that was the 
right way. He took care, however, to turn his unplea¬ 
sant situation to account, putting a huge "watch into the 
rut of the road, and covering it carefully with sand. 
Some of the party imitated this grasshopper attitude, 
and Fray Antonio availed himself of the occasion and 
the devotional posture to bring up the arrears of his 
Paters and Aves. 

We had not been long thus, before the captain of 
the band returned, leaving five of his party to take 
care of the guards, three of whom stood their ground 
and behaved well. The first thing the captain did, 
when he rode among us, was to call to the conductor 
for his hat; after which, he bade him mount upon the 
diligence, and throw down whatever was there. He cau¬ 
tioned him at the same time to look around, and see if 
any thing was coming—adding, with a terrible voice, as 
he half lifted his carbine, “ And have a care !”—“ Y 
cuidado !” The conductor quietly obeyed, and the cap 
tain having told us to get up and not be alarmed, as no 
harm was intended, called to us to put our watches and 


ADVENTURE WITH ROBBERS. 385 

money into the conductor’s hat, which he held out for the 
purpose, much in the ordinary way of making a collec¬ 
tion, except that instead of coming to us, he sat very 
much at his ease upon his horse, and let us come to 
him. I threw my purse in, and as it had nine or ten 
silver dollars, it made a very good appearance, and 
fell with a heavy chink. Then, grasping the bunch of 
brass keys and buttons which hung from my fob, I 
drew out the huge watch which I had bought at Madrid, 
in contemplation of some such event, and whose case 
might upon emergency have served the purpose of a 
warming-pan. Having looked with a consequential 
air at the time, which it marked within six hours, I 
placed it carefully in the hat of the conductor. The 
collection over, the captain emptied purses, watches, 
and loose money, all together into a large leathern 
pocket which hung from his girdle, and then let the 
hat drop under his horse’s hoofs. 

4 44 Qunado /” — 44 Brother-in-law !” said the captain 
to one of the t worthies, his companions, 44 take a look 
into those trunks and boxes, and see if there be any 
thing in them that will suit us.”— 44 Las llaves , 
senores /”— 44 The keys, gentlemen !” 44 And do you, 

zagal, cast me loose those two horses on the lead: a 
fine fellow is that near horse with the saddle.” The 
two persons thus summoned set about obeying with a 
very different grace. Our cunado dismounted at once, 
and hitched his horse to the friar’s trunk. He then 
took from the crupper of his saddle a little bundle, 
which being unrolled expanded into a prodigious long 
sack, with a yawning mouth in the middle. This he 
threw over his arm, with the mouth uppermost, and 
33 


386 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


with a certain professional air. He was a queer, 
systematic little fellow this, with a meek and Joseph 
cast of countenance, that in a market-place would have 
inspired the most profound confidence. Having called 
for the owner of the nearest trunk, the good friar 
made his appearance, and he accosted him with great 
Composure. “ Open it yourself, padre : you know the 
lock better than I do.” The padre complied with 
becoming resignation, and the worthy trunk-inspector 
proceeded to take out an odd collection of loose 
breeches that were secured with a single button, robes 
of white flannel, and handkerchiefs filled with snuff. 
He had got to the bottom without finding aught that 
could be useful to any but a friar of Mercy, and there 
were none such in the fraternity, when, as a last hope, 
he pulled from one corner something square, that 
might have been a box of diamonds, but which proved 
to be only a breviary fastened with a clasp. The 
trunk of the Biscayan came next, and as it belonged 
to a sturdy trader from Bilboa, furnished much better 
picking. Last of all he came to mine; for I had de¬ 
layed opening it, until he had called repeatedly for the 
key, in the hope that the arrival of succour might hurry 
the robbers away, or at least that this double sack 
would fill itself from the others, which was certainly 
very charitable. The countenance of our cunado 
brightened up when he saw the contents of my well- 
filled trunk; and not unlike Sancho of old, when he 
stumbled upon the portmanteau of the disconsolate 
Cardenio in the neighbouring Sierra Morena, he went 
down upon one knee, and fell to his task most inquisi¬ 
tively. Though the sack was already filled out to a 


ADVENTURE WITH ROBBERS. 387 

very bloated size, yet there remained room for nearly 
all my linen and summer clothing, which was doubtless 
preferred in consideration of the approaching heats. 
My gold watch and seal went in search of its silver 
companion; for Senor Cunado slipped it slyly into his 
side pocket, and though there be no secrets among 
relations, I have my doubts whether to this day he has 
ever spoke of it to his brother-in-law. 

Meantime, our female companion had made acquain¬ 
tance with the captain of the band, who for a robber 
was quite a conscientious and conversable person. He 
•was a stout, athletic man, about forty years old, with a 
w r eather-beaten face and long whiskers, which grew 
chiefly under his chin, in the modern fashion, and like 
the beard of a goat. He gave orders not to open the 
trunk of the lady, and then went on to apologize for 
the trouble he was giving us, and had well nigh con¬ 
vinced us that he was doing a very praiseworthy act. 
He said that if the proprietors of the diligence would 
procure his pardon, and employ him as escort, he would 
serve them three months for nothing—“ Tres meses de 
valde. Soy Felipe Cano , y, por mal nombre , el Caca- 
ruco ”—said he—“I am Philip Cano, nicknamed the 
Cacaruco. No ratcatcher am I; but a regular robber. 
I have no other profession or means of bringing up a 
large family with any decency.” 

In twenty minutes after the arrival of these unwel 
come visitors, they had finished levying their contribu¬ 
tion, and drew together to move off. The double sack 
of the inspectors was thrown over the back of one of 
the horses that had been taken from the diligence; for 
in this part of the country the leaders of the teams 


388 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


were generally horses. The horse now loaded with 
such a singular burden was a spirited animal, and 
seemed to understand that all was not right; for hi 
kicked away among the guns and sabres of the robbers, 
until one of them, thus roughly handled, drew his sword 
to kill him, and would have executed his purpose, had 
lie not been restrained by Caearuco. Before the rob¬ 
bers departed, the postilion told Caearuco that he had 
nothing in the world but the two horses, and that if he 
lost them he was a ruined man: he begged him, at 
least, to leave him the poorer of the two. After a 
short parley, the request was granted, and then they 
moved off at a w’alk, talking and gesticulating, without 
once looking hack. We kept sight of them for near 
half an hour, as they moved towards a ravine which 
lay at the foot of a neighbouring mountain. 

We now commenced packing up the remnant of our 
wardrobes. It was a sorrowful scene. Here a box 
emptied of some valuable articles, and the shavings in 
which it had been packed driven in every direction by 
the wind; there another, which had been broken in by 
the butt of a musket, that had passed with little cere¬ 
mony through the shade of an astral lamp ; here shirts, 
and there waistcoats—and there a solitary pair of red 
flannel drawers; every where, however, sorrowful 
faces and plaintive lamentations. I tried to console 
myself, as I locked my trunk, with reflecting upon the 
trouble I had found the day before in shutting it down 
—how I had tugged, and grated my teeth, and jumped 
upon it; but this was poor consolation. My little 
portmanteau, yesterday so bloated and big, now looked 
lean and flabby. I put my foot upon it, and it sunk 


adventure With robbers. 389 

slowly under the pressure. I now looked round for 
the robbers. They were still seen in the distance, 
moving away at a walk, and followed by the horse, 
upon which was mounted that insatiate sack, which 
would have touched the ground on either side, had it 
not been crammed so full as to keep it from touching 
the horse’s ribs. There was a singular association of 
ideas between the fatness of the bag and the leanness 
of my trurfc; and as I still stood with one foot on my 
trunk and turning my thumbs about each other, I set 
up a faint whistle, as a baffled man is apt to do. By 
a singular coincidence I happened to hit upon that 
very waltz in the Freyschutz, where the music seems to 
accompany the waltzers, and gradually dies away as 
they disappear from the stage; and that at a moment 
too when the robbers, having crossed a slight elevation, 
were descending into the hollow beyond. The apropos 
seemed excellent; so I continued to whistle, winding 
up as the heads of the robbers bobbed up and down, 
and just blew the last note as they sank below the 
horizon. 



33* 






AFRICAN FAMILY. 


ADVENTURES OF LIEUT. COL. DENHAM 
IN AFRICA. 

IXON DENHAM was born 
in London on the first of 
January, 1786, and was edu¬ 
cated to be a solicitor. This 
profession proved uncongenial, and 
he entered the army. After serving 
through the peninsular war, and at 
the battle of Waterloo, and winning high honour for 
military talent and courage, Denham volunteered to 
succeed Mr. Ritchie, the African traveller. He arrived 





ADVENTURES OF DENHAM IN AFRICA. 391 

at Tripoli, and on the fifth of March, 1822, proceeded 
to join Messrs. Oudney and Clapperton, at Memoon, 
whence he travelled to Sockna, being the first of his 
countrymen who had ever entered the town in an 
English dress. 

From Sockna, he continued his course towards 
Mourzuk, crossing, on his way thither, an extensive 
desert, where he experienced great pain and peril from 
the effects of thirst and a tremendous sand storm which 
blew down his tent in the night, and nearly suffocated 
him before he was able to rise. On his arrival at 
Mourzuk, finding the sultan unwilling to furnish him 
with an escort to Bornou, he left his companions, 
and returned to Tripoli; charged the bashaw with 
duplicity ; and, on his hesitating to appoint a time 
to convey him to the former place, set sail for Mar¬ 
seilles, with the intention of proceeding to England, 
and informing the government how he had been de¬ 
ceived. Upon this, says Major Denham, in his journal, 

4 The bashaw sent three despatches after me, by three 
different vessels, to Leghorn, Malta, and the port I had 
sailed to, which I received in quarantine, informing 
me that Bhoo-Khaloom was appointed with an escort 
to convey us to Bornou.” Accordingly, our traveller 
reimbarked for the shores of Barbary, and re-entered 
Sockna on the 2nd, and Mourzuk on the 30th of Oc¬ 
tober ; and, in the latter end of the following month, 
set out on his way to Kouka, in Bornou. 

Passing through Traghan, over a road of salt and 
sand, to Maefen, 44 an assemblage of date-huts, with 
but one house,” he came up with Oudney and Clap¬ 
perton, at Gatrone; whence he proceeded to Tegerhy, 


392 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


where he remained some days in consequence of the ill 
ness of his two companions, and of the rest he himself re¬ 
quired previous to crossing the adjoining desert, a jour¬ 
ney of fifteen days. On. the 13th of December, he set out 
for Kouka; meeting, daily, during the first fortnight 
of the way, an immense quantity of skeletons, and 
dead bodies, some of which he found “with their arms 
clasped round each other, just ,as they had expired.” 
Alluding to these corpses in his journal, he relates, 
“ Whilst I was dozing on my horse, about noon, I was 
suddenly awakened by a crashing under my feet, which 
startled me excessively. I found that my steed had, 
without any sensation of shame or alarm, stepped upon 
the perfect skeletons of two human beings, cracking 
their brittle bones under his feet, and, by one trip of 
his foot, separating a skull from the trunk, which rolled 
on like a ball before him. This event gave me a sensa¬ 
tion which it took some time to remove.” On the 8th 
of January, 1823, he arrived at Derkee, where he was 
compelled to sanction the sending of a marauding party 
to capture some camels, the chief part of those who had 
attended him having died on the road. Major Denham 
continued his journey, passing through Bilma, the 
capital of the Tilboos, Chukoema, Dibla, Kasama-foma, 
Beere-Kashifery, Lari, Woodie, Burwha, Geudewhat; 
and, after having been without animal food for fifteen 
days together, and narrowly escaping the jaws of 
alligators, hyaenas, and elephants, in the course of his 
travels, he arrived at Kouka on the 17th of February. 
“ This,” says he, “ was to us a momentous day, and it 
seemed to be equally so to our conductors. Notwith¬ 
standing all the difficulties that had presented them- 


ADVENTURES OE DENHAM IN AFRICA. 393 

selves at the various stages of our journey, we were at 
last within a few short miles of our destination; were 
about to become acquainted with a people who had 
never seen, or scarcely heard of, an European ; and to 
tread on ground, the knowledge and true situation of 
which had hitherto been wholly unknown.” 

On his presentation to the Sheikh of Bornou, he 
soon gained his confidence, and was promised, by him, 
all the assistance in his power to give him a knowledge 
of the country and its inhabitants. After passing 
about two months at Kouka, he joined a hostile expe¬ 
dition, sent out by the sheikh, against the Felatahs; 
in his way to attack whom, he passed some days at 
Mandara, the sultan of which country joined the Bor- 
nouse troops, who, together with himself, after burning 
two small towns, were put to flight and defeated by the 
Felatahs, at the siege of Musfeia. The situation of 
Major Denham, in his retreat from the pursuers, was 
dreadful in the extreme; both himself and his horse 
were badly wounded; and, after twice falling with the 
latter, and fighting singly against three or four assail¬ 
ants, he at length lay disarmed on the ground. “ At 
that moment,” he relates, “my hopes of life were too 
faint to deserve the name. I was almost instantly 
surrounded; and, incapable of making the least resis¬ 
tance, was as speedily stripped. My pursuers then 
made several thrusts at me with their spears, that 
badly wounded my hands in two places, and slightly 
my body, just under my ribs, on the right side ; indeed, 
I saw nothing before me but the same cruel death I 
had seen unmercifully inflicted on the few who had 
fallen into the power of those who now had possession 


394 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 

of me. My shirt was now absolutely torn off my back, 
and I was left perfectly naked. When my plunderers 
began to quarrel for the spoil, the idea of escape came 
like lightning across my mind; and, without a moment’s 
hesitation, I crept under the belly of the horse nearest 
me, and started as fast as my legs could carry me for 
the thickest part of the wood: two of the Felatahs 
followed, and gained upon me; for the prickly under¬ 
wood not only obstructed my passage, but tore my flesh 
miserably; and the delight with which I saw a moun¬ 
tain-stream gliding along at the bottom of a deep 
ravine cannot be imagined. My strength had almost 
left me, and I seized the young branches issuing from 
the stump of a large tree which overhung the ravine, 
for the purpose of letting myself down into the water; 
when, under my hand, as the branch yielded to the 
weight of my body, a large liffa, the worst kind of ser¬ 
pent this country produces, rose from its coil, as if in 
the very act of striking. I was horror-struck, and de¬ 
prived, for a moment, of all recollection—the branch 
slipped from my hand, and I tumbled headlong into the 
water beneath; this shock, however, revived me; and, 
with three strokes of my arms, I reached the opposite 
bank, which, with difficulty, I climbed up, and then, 
for the first time, felt myself safe from my pursuers.” 

After dangers and disasters almost as appalling as 
those just related, Major Denham returned to Kouka, 
where he arrived in the beginning of May, in a state 
of extreme wretchedness and despondency. In his 
way back, he relates, that the little food he could pro¬ 
cure “was thrust out from under Barca Sana’s (the 
sheikh’s general) tent, and consisted generally of his 


ADVENTURES OF DENHAM IN AFRICA. 395 


leavings: pride,” he continues, “ was sometimes nearly 
choking me, but hunger was the paramount feeling; I 
smothered the former, ate, and was thankful.” “ Thus,” 
he observes, on terminating his account of it, “ ended 
our most unsuccessful expedition it had, however, 
injustice and oppression for its basis, and who can re¬ 
gret its failure?” He, however, shortly after his 
return to Kouka, accompanied, with Dr. Oudney, a 
second expedition, headed by the sheikh in person, 
against the Mungowy; but that people making some 
concessions, he was not involved in any hostile en¬ 
counter; and after visiting the Gambarou river, and 
collecting much curious information, (among other, that 
the monkies abounding in that part of the country, are 
called by the natives “ the enchanted men,”) he again 
returned to Kouka, where he remained till the termi¬ 
nation of the rainy season in 1823. 

In January, 1824, he obtained permission, and an 
escort, from the sheikh, to visit the Loggun nation, a 
country he had for eleven months previously been 
endeavouring to enter. On the 2nd of February, he 
embarked at Showy in a canoe, and proceeded down 
the river Shary to Joggabah, a once inhabited, but 
then desolate, island; approaching it by a wide piece 
of water, which he called, from the beauty of the sur¬ 
rounding scenery, Bellevue Reach. Passing from 
Lake Shary, “ into that sea of fresh water, the Tchad,” 
which he named Lake Waterloo, he veered round to 
the north-east branch of Joggabah, and continued in 
that direction till he arrived at the mouth of the Shary; 
where, after discerning with his telescope nothing but 
a waste of waters before him, he commenced his return 


896 


t>ERlLOt)S ADVENTURES. 



LAKE TCHAD. 


to Showy; on reaching which, he immediately set ovt 
for Loggun, by way of Gulphi, Willighi, Affadai, Alph, 
and Kussery; a route seldom traversed, and which he 
describes to be “ a continued succession of marshes, 
swamps, and stagnant waters, abounding with useless 
and rank vegetationand where “ flies, bees, and 
musquitos, with immense black toads, vie with each 
other in a display of their peace-destroying powers.” 
On the 16th of February, he entered Kurnuk, the 
capital of Loggun, by a street “ as wide as Pall Mall 
but w r as only allowed to remain a few days in the city, 
n consequence of the approach of the Begharmi, 
against whom the Sultan of Loggun would not under¬ 
take to protect him. While in the city, he was much 
annoyed by the curiosity of the women, who examined 
even the pockets of his trowsers; “ to give them their 
due,” he observes, “they are the cleverest and the 




A* VENTURES OF DENHAM IN AFRICA. 397 

most immoral race I had met with in the black 
country.” 

After enduring many vicissitudes and dangers, and 
witnessing at Augala, the last moments of Mr. Tooke, 
who had accompanied him in his expedition to Loggun, 
Major Denham returned, on the 2nd of March, to 
Kouka, where he was attacked with a slight fever; 
and, shortly after, received intelligence of the death 
of Dr. Oudney, at Murmur. Notwithstanding, how¬ 
ever, the disheartening circumstances attending his 
former excursions, he, on his recovery, joined another 
expedition against the Begharmies, in the hope of 
making himself further acquainted with their country; 
but a temporary defeat of the Bornouse, whom he 
accompanied, rendering it unsafe for him to continue 
with them, he once more returned to Kouka. 

Denham now returned to England, accompanied by 
Captain Clapperton. He was, soon afterwards, ap¬ 
pointed director-general of Sierra Leone, to which 
country he proceeded. Denham died at Free Town, 
in Sierra Leone, on the 9th of June, 1828. 



NATIVK OF BARNOU. 


34 



CHAELES V. 

VISIT OF MR. FORD TO ST. YUSTE, THE 
LAST RESIDENCE OF CHARLES V. 

R. RICHARD FORD, author of 
the Hand Book for Spain, has 
given in that work the following 
very entertaining account of his 
visit to the monastery of St. 
Yuste to which the great Empe¬ 
ror Charles Y. retired (when he 
abdicated his throne in favour of his son Philip II.) 
and where he ended his days. 

This celebrated convent, the final retreat of Charles V., 
lies on the south-west slope of the Sierra de Vera, dis¬ 
tant seven leagues from Placentia, and about a seven 
hours’ pleasant ride. Once at Placentia, whether Mad¬ 
rid or Salamanca be your point, you ought on no account 
to deny yourself this excursion :— 



























VISIT OF MR. FORD TO ST. YUSTE. 399 

Cross the Xerte, and ascend the steep Calzones, 
thence through olives and vineyards to the Vera or 
valley, which is some nine leagues in extent; after four 
leagues of dehesas y matos the road ascends to the left 
to Pasaron , a picturesque old town of Prout-lik 
houses, toppling balconies hanging over a brawling 
brook. Observe a palace of^the Arcos family. The 
road next clambers up a steep hill, amid fruit-trees of 
every kind. As we rode on our cheerful companions 
were groups of sunburnt daughters of labour, whose 
only dower was health and cheerfulness, who were 
carrying on their heads in baskets the frugal dinner of 
the vine-dressers. Springy and elastic was their san¬ 
dalled step, unfettered by shoe or stocking, and light¬ 
hearted their laugh and song, the chorus of the sheer 
gaiety of youth full of health and void of care. These 
pretty creatures, although they did not know it, were 
performing an opera ballet in action and costume : how 
gay their short say as of serges red, green and yellow; 
how primitive the cross on their bosoms, how graceful 
the panuelo on their heads: thus they tripped wan¬ 
tonly away under the long-leaved chesnuts. Now the 
beautiful Vera expands, with the yellow line of the 
Badajoz road running across the cistus-clad distance to 
Miravete: soon the Jeronomite convent appears to the 
left, nestling in woods about half way up the mountain, 
which shelters devotion from the wind. Below is the 
farm Magdalena , where in the worst case the night 
may be passed; ascend to the monastery, keeping close 
to a long wall. This Spanish Spalatro, to which the 
gout-worn, empire-sick Charles retired to barter crowns 
for rosaries away, was founded in 1404, on the site 


400 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



QUEEN MART, WIFE OF PHILIP II. 


^here a covey of fourteen Gothic bishops had been 
killed at one fell swoop by the Moors. Charles sent 
his son Philip (when on his way to England to marry 
our amiable Mary) to inspect this place, which he had 
years before noted as a nest for his old age: he himself 
planned, when in Flanders, the additional buildings, 
which were erected by Antonio de Villa Castin, and 
they lie to the warm south-west of the chapel; but on 
the 9th of August, 1809, dies carbone notanda , two 
hundred of Soult’s foragers clambered up and pillaged 


VISIT OF MR. FORD TO ST. YUSTR. 


401 


and burnt the convent, leaving it a blackened, roofless 
ruin. The precious archives were then consumed, all 
except one volume of documents, written in 1620, by 
Fray Luis de S a Maria. This the prior was consulting 
about some rights disputed by the Cuacos peasants, and 
seeing the enemy threw it into some bushes. That 
book he lent us to read ; now it no doubt is lost. 

Here we met also Fray Alonzo Cavallero, an aged 
monk, who took the cowl October 17, 1778, and 
remembered Ponz and his visit. The convent is entered 
by the walnut-tree under which Charles used to sit, and 
which even then was called El nogal grande. Passing 
to the Botica , all the few vases which escaped the 
French were carried off* in 1820, by one Morales, 
a liberal apothecary, for his own shop in Garandilla. 
The granite-built chapel, from its thick walls, resisted 
the fire of the invaders, thus saving the imperial quarter 
to be finally gutted by the Constitutionalists. A door 
to the right of the altar opened to Charles’s room, 
whence he came out to attend divine service: his bed¬ 
room, where he died, has a window through which, when 
ill, he could see the elevation of the Host. Here hung 
the Gloria of Titian, which, in his will, he directed to 
be placed wherever his body was, and which was moved 
with it to the Escorial. Philip II., however, sent a 
copy to S n Yuste which was carried off* to Texada by 
the patriots, in 1823: when the monks returned, they 
were too poor even to pay for bringing it back. The 
Coro Alto was carved in a quaint tedesque style by 
Rodrigo Aleman. In a vault below the high altar is 
the rude chest in which the Emperor’s body was kept 
sixteen years, until removed in 1574. 

34* 


402 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


He built only four rooms—each, as usual, with large 
fireplaces, for he was a gouty and phlegmatic Fleming. 
From the projecting alcoves the views are delicious. 
At the west end is a pillared gallery, La Plaza del 
Palacio overhanging a private garden; and connected 
with it is a raised archway, el Puente , by which the 
Emperor went down. Below is the sun-dial, erected 
for him by Juanuelo Turriano. He was brought here 
by the Emperor, who was fond of mechanical experi¬ 
ments. The stone step by which he mounted his horse 
yet remains, and here he was seated when he felt the 
first approach of death, as an inscription records. He 
arrived there, Wednesday, February 3, 1557, at one 
in the afternoon, and died September 21 of the next 
year, of premature old age, and dropping, like the ripe 
fruit from the shaken tree. He gave the convent 
nothing but the honour of his company ; his major- 
domo, Luis de Quixada (who was afterwards killed by 
the Moriscos, near Granada,) having of course, like a 
true Spanish unjust steward, stripped the rooms of 
every thing portable. Philip II. came here again in 
1570, and remained two days. He refused to sleep in 
the room where his father died. He, too, did little for 
the monks; and when they begged of him, replied, 
“You never could have had my father here a year 
without feathering your nest.” 

The larger pleasure-grounds lay on the other side. 
Nature has now resumed her sway, yet many a flower 
shows that once a garden smiled. A myrtle and box 
edge leads to El cenador de Belem (Bethelem.) This 
exquisite gem of a cinque cento summer-house remained 
perfect, until destroyed, like Abadia and Aranjuez, by 
Soult’s anti-horticultural troops. 


VISIT OF Mil. FORD TO ST. YUSTE. 


m 



CHARLES AND TURRIANO SURPRISING THE MONKS WITH THEIR PUPPETS. 


Charles lived here half like a monk and half like a 
retired country gentleman. Although strictly atten¬ 
tive to his religious duties, he amused himself with his 
flowers, rides, mechanical experiments, and his young 
son, Don Juan of Austria. The ex-Emperor was sadly 
plagued by the villagers of Cuacos , who, then as always 
ill-conditioned, poached his trout in the Garganta, 
drove away his milk-cows, and threw stones at the 
future hero of Lepanto for climbing up their cherry- 
trees. His was no morbid, unsocial misanthropy, but 
a true weariness of the world with which he had done, 
and a wish to be at rest: he sedulously avoided all 
allusion to politics. Neither was he in his dotage, 
although enfeebled in health from gout; his ambition 
and passions were subdued, but not his relish for intel¬ 
lectual and innocent recreations. He brought with 
him his old servants, who knew his wants and ways, 
and whose faces he knew: he had his book, his ride, 
his hobby, experiments,* and his prayers; he had 

* One of Charles’ amusements was making collections of clocks 
and watches, and automaton images, and' observing their differed 










404 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


friends, some to tell his sorrows to and divide them, 
others to impart his joys to and double themhe had 
the play and prattle of his little boy. Phlegmatic and 
melancholy he was by constitution, and from the inher¬ 
ited taint of his mother ; but the story of his having 
had. the funeral service said over himself while alive 
is untrue: no record or tradition of the kind existed 
among the monks. Philip II., who feared his father 
might repent of his resignation, and wish again to 
resume the crown, kept a spy here, who daily reported 
to Secretary Yasquez every minute circumstance. The 
original letters, once in the Salesas at Madrid, were 
incorporated by Thomas Gonzalez in a work on this 
Retirada , which unfortunately is not yet printed. The 
ruin commenced by the French was completed by the 
Liberals of Cuacos, who, July 4, 1821, came and stole 
every thing. They kept horses in the church, and 
made the Emperor’s room a place for silk-worms. 
Recent sequestrians have again destroyed what the 
poor monks had partially restored, and chaos is come 
again. 

Never again will it be the lot of traveller to be wel¬ 
comed, like ourselves, by these worthy men, to whom 
news and a stranger from the real living world was 
a godsend. The day was passed in sauntering about 
the ruined buildings and gardens with the good-natured 
garrulous brotherhood. At nightfall supper was laid 
for all the monks together at a long board, but th« 
prior and procurador had a small table set apart in an 
alcove, where, “ bidden to a spare but cheerful meal, I 

mot : ons, and surprising the monks with these performances. In 
this he was assisted by an attendant named Turriano. 


Visit cp mu. fom> to sT. ydstp. 


405 


sat an honoured guest.” As the windows were thrown 
wide open to admit the cool, thyme-scented breeze, the 
eye in the clear evening swept over the boundless val¬ 
ley, and the nightingales sang sweetly in the neglected 
orange-garden, to the bright stars reflected like dia¬ 
monds in the black tank below us. How often had 
Charles looked out on a stilly eve, on this self-same 
and unchanged scene, where he alone was now want¬ 
ing ! When supper was done, I shook hands all round 
with my kind hosts, and went to bed in the chamber 
where the Emperor breathed his last. All was soon 
3ilent, and the spirit of the mighty dead ruled again 
in his last home; but no Charles disturbed the deep 
slumber of a weary, insignificant stranger. Long ere 
daybreak next morning I was awakened by a pale monk, 
and summoned to the early mass, which the prior in his 
forethought had ordered. The chapel was imperfectly 
lighted; and the small congregation consisted of the 
monk, my sun-burnt muleteer, and a stray beggar, who, 
like myself, had been sheltered in the convent. When 
the service was concluded, all bowed a last farewell to 
the altar on which the dying glance of Charles had 
been fixed, and departed in peace. The morning was 
grey and the mountain air keen ; nor was it until the sun 
had risen high that the carol of the light-hearted maid 
ens dispelled the cowl, and relaid the ghost of Charles 
in the dim pages cf history. 


SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 


SUFFERINGS OF A PARTY ON FRANKLIN S 
JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA. 


F, all scenes of intense 
suffering undergone by 
travellers those described 
in the 44 Narrative of 
Franklin’s journey to the 
Shores of the Polar Sea 
in the years 1819, 20, 
21 and 22,” are by far 
the severest we have ever 
read. 

While Lieutenant Parry was exploring a passage 






franklin s journey to the polar sea 407 


n toss the Polar Sea towards the Pacific, Lord 
.Bathurst conceived it might not only be serviceable to 
this intrepid navigator, but desirable for the benefit of 
geographical and hydrographical science, to ascertain 
the actual position of the mouth of the Copper mine 
River and the trending of the shores of the Polar Sea 
to the eastward of it. With this view, Lieutenant 
(now Captain) Franklin was recommended by the Lords 
of the Admirality as a proper person to be employed 
on such a service; they, at the same time, nominated 
Dr. Richardson, a naval surgeon, well skilled in natural 
history, Mr. Hood and Mr. Back, two admiralty mid¬ 
shipmen (subsequently promoted to the rank of Lieu¬ 
tenants), and two steady English seamen, to accompany 
him. 

This little party embarked on board the Hudson’s 
Bay Company’s ship, Prince of Wales, the 23d of May, 
1819; and reached Stromness the 3d of June, where 
four boatmen were engaged to assist their progress up 
the rivers of America :-*-after a narrow escape from 
being wrecked on the rocky shores of Resolution island 
beset with heavy ice, they arrived in safety at York 
factory on the shores of Hudson’s Bay, on the 30th 
of August. Here they immediately commenced pre¬ 
parations for their long journey; and every possible 
assistance was afforded by the governor and servants 
of the Hudson’s Bay Company, who furnished them 
with a boat, provisions, stores, and ammunition, sent 
forward circular letters to all their posts, directing the 
superintendents to supply all their wants, and coinmu- 
cated frankly such information for their guidance, as 
materially assisted them in their future proceedings. 


408 


PEmotrS AbYEOTtmES. 


The journey into the interior commenced at York 
Fort, where the party embarked on the 9th of Sep¬ 
tember, i.819; and they arrived at Cumberland House 
on the 22d of October, the travelling distance by 
water being about six hundred and ninety miles. 
Late as the season was, Captain Franklin determined 
not to remain here, but to set out on a long and perilous 
expedition of several hundred miles to Fort Chebey- 
wan, near the western extremity of Athebasca lake; 
where, by his presence, he hoped to prevent delay in 
the necessary preparations for their ulterior proceedings. 
With this view, accompanied by Lieut. Back, on the 
18th of January, 1820, he took leave of Dr. Richardson, 
and Mr. Hood, who were to bring up their baggage in 
the spring; and after a journey of 857 miles in the 
very depth of winter, the thermometer frequently at 
40°, and sometimes more than 50° below zero, arrived 
safely, on the 26th of March, at the Fort. 

As soon as the spring began to appear, Dr. Richard¬ 
son and Mr. Hood set out to join their companions who 
had preceded them to Fort Chebeywan. It may readily 
be supposed, that the return of this season is, in such 
a dreary, chilling climate, hailed with universal joy. 
The symptoms of its approach are unequivocal. About 
the middle of April the flights of geese, ducks, and 
swans from the southward, indicate the breaking up of 
the frost; gentle showers begin to fall; the whole face 
of the country is deluged by the melted snow. In a 
few days the upper grounds are dry, and teem with the 
fragrant offspring of the new year. “ There can scarcely 
be a higher gratification,” says Captain Franklin, “ than 
that which is enjoyed in this country, in witnessing the 


FUaNKLIn's JOUHNET TO THE TOLAH SEA. 40 ? 



WILD GBESE. 

rapid change which takes place in the course of a few 
-days in the spring; scarcely does the snow disappear 
from the ground, before the trees are clothed with thick 
foliage, the shrubs open their leaves, and put forth 
their variegated flowers, and the whole prospect becomes 
animating.” But it also brings its inconveniencies, the 
first, and most annoying of which, are the clouds of 
huge full-grown musquitoes, which bursting forth at 
once, incessantly torment the traveller to a degree un 
known even in the tropical regions of the globe. 

The whole party, with their Indian hunters, having 
assembled at Chebeywan, set out on the 18th of July 
for the northward, in the hope that, before the season 
should expire, they might be enabled to fix their winter 
quarters at the mouth of the Copper-mine River, and 
35 





410 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


to avail themselves of the earliest period of the follow¬ 
ing spring to explore the coast of the Polar Sea to the 
eastward. But so great and so numerous were the 
difficulties experienced from the scarcity of provisions, 
and from the impediments in the navigation of the 
numerous rivers and lakes, on account of the rapids of 
the one and the shallows of the other, together with 
the frequent portages, that their progress was exceed¬ 
ingly slow and tedious; and they did not arrive at the 
spot where it was found necessary to hut themselves 
for the winter, and which was distant from Chebeywan 
about 550 miles, before the 20th of August. With 
regard to the interruptions of the portages, they became 
more frequent, and the dragging of the boats more 
fatiguing, in proportion as they advanced to the north¬ 
ward ; and thus the sufferings of the people from want 
of sufficient sustenance were greatly aggravated. It 
not unfrequently happened that in one day they had to 
load and unload the canoes, and to transport them and 
the baggage over five or six of these portages. We 
cannot, therefore, be surprised that men who, like the 
Canadian Voyagers, live, when at the Company’s forts, 
entirely on animal food, the daily allowance of which 
is eight 'pounds to each man, should be disheartened, 
and exhibit symptoms of discontent and insubordination, 
when they found themselves reduced to one scanty 
meal a day of a few ounces of fish or deer’s flesh ; 
and, on some days, unable to procure any food at all. 
Their disobedience, however, was only transitory, and 
seems to have ceased with the occasion of it; and it is 
due to them to say that their general conduct through¬ 
out this perilous and fatiguing expedition was highly 


franklin’s journey to the polar sea. 411 


praiseworthy. A fresh- supply of food had invariably 
the effect of an immediate return of their usual good 
humour. 

Captain Franklin, as we before observed, had been 
anxious to arrive at the mouth of the Copper-mine 
River during the present season; but the small pools 
being frozen over so early as the 25th of August, when 
the geese were observed to be passing to the southward, 
and other unequivocal symptoms of the approach of 
winter beginning to manifest themselves, he found it 
necessary to abandon the design. Indeed the chief of 
the hunters declared that the attempt would be rash 
and dangerous, and that, as he considered the lives of 
all who went on such a journey would be forfeited, he 
neither would go himself, nor permit his people to ac¬ 
company them. They were, therefore, compelled to 
content themselves for this season with making an 
excursion to the head of the Copper-mine River, in 
Point Lake, about sixty miles to the northward, merely 
to satisfy themselves of its size and position. 

In the meantime, the Canadians were busily engaged 
in constructing a house for their winter residence, to 
which they gave the name of Fort Enterprize. It was 
situated on a rising ground on the bank of a river, and 
near a lake, surrounded with numerous trees of consid¬ 
erable size, some of the pines being from thirty to 
forty feet high, and two feet in diameter at the base. 
The banks of the river (to which they gave the name 
of Winter River) were also well clothed with trees of 
this description, and enlivened with a profusion of 
luxuriant mosses, lichens and shrubby plants. The 
lat. of Fort Enterprize is 64° 28', long. 113° 6' W. 


412 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


The last station of the North-West Company is Fort 
Providence, in lat. 62° IT', long. 114° 9' W. 

All hands were now employed in laying in a stock 
of provisions for the winter, consisting principally of 
rein-deers’ flesh frozen, or dried partially by the fire 
and sun, then bruised with stones and kneaded up with 
fat or suet into a paste, well known in North America 
by the name of pemmican. The rein-deer in this 
neighbourhood were fortunately abundant, being met 
with in herds from ten to a hundred; and Captain 
Franklin says that, in walking out one day, he estimated 
the numbers seen by him at not fewer than two thou¬ 
sand. Before these animals began to migrate to the 
southward in search of a milder climate and better 
sheltered pastures, the hunters were enabled to procure 
about one hundred and eighty, which were converted 
into dried meat: to this they added about a thousand 
white fish, from two to three pounds each, and occa¬ 
sionally others of the salmon tribe, trout, pike and red 
carp. But this stock of provision was barely sufficient 
for the winter’s consumption of the party, including the 
multitude of Indians and their families who crowded 
to the rendezvous as soon as the winter had set in. 

Nor was this the worst. The whole of their ammuni¬ 
tion was expended, and their packages of blankets, 
tobacco, and other articles of indispensable necessity 
had not come up from the southward. Mr. Back, 
therefore, volunteered to return to Fort Providence and, 
if necessary, to Chebeywan, to obtain such supplies as 
were absolutely necessary, to enable them to proceed. 
He set out, accompanied by Mr. Wentzel, a clerk of 
the North-west Company, two Canadians, two Indians 




















franklin’s journey to the polar sea. 415 

and their wives, on the 18th of October. This journey 
on foot, in the depth of winter, as far as Chebeywan 
and back to Fort Enterprize, at which place Mr. Back 
arrived on the 17th of March, is among the many 
instances of extraordinary exertion and determined 
perseverance which this expedition afforded. He thus 
concludes his interesting Report:—“ I had the pleasure 
of meeting my friends all in good health, after an ab¬ 
sence of nearly five months, during which time I # had 
travelled one thousand one hundred and four miles in 
snow-shoes, and no other covering at night, in the 
woods, than a blanket and deer-skin, with the ther¬ 
mometer frequently at—40°, and once at—57° ; and 
sometimes passing two or three days, without tasting 
food.’ We may add that, without this extraordinary 
exertion of Mr. Back, the expedition would not have 
been able to leave Fort Enterprize. 

The party that remained at this spot were not much 
better circumstanced than Mr. Back had been, at least 
with regard to the severity of the cold. 

Mr. Back brought with him two Esquimaux inter¬ 
preters whom he found at Fort Providence, where they 
had arrived from the neighbourhood of Chesterfield 
Inlet: their names were Tattaneeseuck and Hdeootserock 
—Belly and Ear —but they were commonly called 
Augustus and Junius—the former could speak a little 
English. Immediately on their arrival at Fort Enter 
prize, they set about building a snow house for their 
residence, which they maintained to be more warm and 
comfortable than the wooden one already erected. 
Captain Franklin’s description of this singular fabric 
recalls to our recollection the many learned and laboured 


416 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


discussions and speculations on the origin and invention 
of the arch, and inclines us to ask, Where did these 
poor people, the outcasts of society, separate from the 
civilized world, and confined to regions of eternal ice 
and snow; where did these miserable beings learn the 
principles and construction, not simply of the arch, but 
of the perfect dome, the most difficult of arches ? 

“ The winter habitations of the Esquimaux, who visit 
Churchill,” says Captain Franklin, “ are built of snow, 
and judging from one constructed by Augustus to-day, 
they are very comfortable dwellings. Having selected 
a spot on the river, where the snow was about two feet 
deep, and sufficiently compact, he commenced by tracing 
out a circle twelve feet in diameter. The snow in the 
interior of the circle was next divided with a broad 
knife, having a long handle, into slabs three feet long, 
six inches thick, and two feet deep, being the thickness 
of the layer of snow. These slabs were tenacious 
enough to admit of being moved about without break¬ 
ing, or even losing the sharpness of their angles, and 
they had a slight degree of curvature, corresponding 
with that of the circle from which they were cut. 
They were piled upon each other exactly like courses 
of hewn stone around the circle which was traced out, 
and care was taken to smooth the beds of the different 
courses with the knife, and to cut them so as to give 
5he wall a slight inclination inwards, by which contri¬ 
vance the building acquired the properties of a dome. 
The dome was closed somewhat suddenly and flatly by 
cutting the upper slabs in a wedge-form, instead of the 
more rectangular shape of those below. The roof was 
about eight feet high, and the last aperture was shut 






ESQUIMAUX. 




































































































franklin’s journey to the polar sea. 419 

up by a small conical piece. The whole was built from 
within, and each slab w T as cut so that it retained its 
position without requiring support until another was 
placed beside it, the lightness of the slabs greatly 
facilitating the operation. When the building was 
covered -in, a little loose snow was thrown over it, to 
close up every chink, and a low door was cut through 
the walls with the knife. A bed-place was next formed 
and neatly faced up with slabs of snow, which was then 
covered with a thin layer of pine branches, to prevent 
them from melting by the heat of the body. At each 
end of the bed a pillar of snow was erected to place a 
lamp upon, and lastly, a porch was built before the 
door, and a piece of clear ice was placed in an aperture 
cut in the wall for a window. 

“ The purity of the material of which the house was 
framed, the elegance of its construction, and the trans- 
lucency of its walls, which transmitted a very pleasant 
light, gave it an appearance far superioi to a marble 
building, and one might survey it with feelings some¬ 
what akin to those produced by the contemplation of a 
Grecian temple, reared by Phidias; both are temples 
of art, inimitable in their kinds.” 

It was not before the 14th of June that the Indians 
considered the ice to have sufficiently broken up in the 
Copper-mine River, to admit of its being navigated by 
canoes. By this time their stock of provisions was 
pretty nearly exhausted, and it became evident that 
their future subsistence must depend on the success of 
the hunters, as they proceeded down the river: these 
hunters, however, as the time of departure approached, 
began to manifest a decided reluctance to proceed. It 


420 




PERILOUS ADVENTl'RES, 


DEER. 



appeared, upon inquiry, that a Mr. Weeks, a clerk of 
the North West Company, who, in his remote retreat 
had nurtured the ancient and deep-rooted jealousies 
which prevailed between the two Companies previously 
to their recent union, had been tampering with them, 
misrepresenting the object of the expedition, and the 
character of the officers employed. It was with the 
utmost difficulty the unfavourable impressions, thus 
created on the minds of the Indians, were removed, 
and even after this had been done, the dread of the 
Esquimaux furnished another obstacle to their proceed¬ 
ing. At length, however, all difficulties being sur- 


franklin's journey to the polar sea. 421 

mounted, the whole party proceeded to the Copper- 
mine River; which, like all those which they had 
hitherto navigated, was full of rocks, rapids and shoals, 
and in many places bridged with large masses of ice. 
The grassy plains on either side, however, abounded 
with game, particularly with that singular little animal 
known by the name of the musk ox, of which they 
killed a great number, but all of them lean, and the 
flesh by no means palatable. 

The herds of deer and musk oxen attract great 
numbers of bears and wolves. The latter is a gregari¬ 
ous animal, and so sagacious, as rarely to be caught in 
any kind of trap. Inferior in speed to the moose and 
rein-deer, these creatures are said to have recourse to 
a stratagem which seldom fails to succeed, in places 
where extensive plains are bounded by precipitous cliffs. 
The party had proof of this in more places than one. 

“ Whilst the deer are quietly grazing, the wolves 
assemble in great numbers, and, forming a crescent, 
creep slowly towards the herd so as not to alarm them 
much at first, but when they perceive that they have 
fairly hemmed in the unsuspecting creatures, and cut 
off their retreat across the plain, they move more 
quickly, and with hideous yells terrify their prey and 
urge them to flight bj the only open way, which is that 
towards the precipice; appearing to know, that when 
the herd is once at full speed, it is easily driven over 
the cliff, the rearmost urging on those that are before. 
The wolves then descend at their leisure, and feast on 
the mangled carcasses.” 

This stratagem was attempted on Dr. Richardson, 
when sitting musing one evening, on the summit of a 

36 




X. 







.’4 



MUSK OX 











fkanklin’s journey to the polar sea. 423 



a precipice, overlooking the Copper-mine river. Hear¬ 
ing an indistinct noise behind him, he looked round, and 
perceived nine white wolves advancing towards him in a 
crescent, evidently with the intention of driving him 
down the steep; hut on his rising and walking towards 
them, they readily made an opening and let him pass: 
a poor deer, which was hemmed in at the same time, 
less bold or less fortunate, was shortly afterwards 
driven over the precipice. 

Captain Franklin’s original intention was to return 
(if he found it necessary to return at all) in as direct a 
line as the winding of the coast would admit, to the 
mouth of Copper-mine River, and thence through the 
line of woods extending along the Great Bear and Mar¬ 
tin Lakes as far as Slave Lake; but their scanty stock 
of provisions having been exhausted before they reached 
the mouth of Hood’s River, and the coast holding out 




424 


PERILOUS AJDVEVri>KES. 


little hope of an adequate supply at this advanced 
period of the season, he determined on proceeding up 
this latter river as far as it was navigable, and then, 
striking across the barren grounds, to make directly 
for their late winter-quarters at Fort Enterprize. Their 
progress however was very soon stopped*by the whole 
river tumbling over a ledge of rock in a magnificent 
cascade of 250 feet in height, on the other side of which 
it was found to be too rapid and too full of shallows for 
the canoes to make any way. It became necessary 
therefore to prepare for a journey on foot; and the first 
step was that of converting the canoes into two of 
smaller dimensions, to enable them to cross the lakes 
and rivers with which they had reason to believe this 
portion of the continent was much intersected. Every 
part of the baggage that could be dispensed with was 
left on the spot, and two days provision of fresh meat 
(all that could be carried in addition to the canoes) put 
up with the rest. 

At the end of two days, the course of the river 
turned so much out of their direct route that they were 
obliged to quit its banks altogether, and proceed in a 
straight line towards Point Lake, whose distance was 
estimated at 140 miles. On the 5th of September, 
three days only after leaving the river, the party was 
surprised by the unusual and unexpected appearance 
of winter, in a heavy fall of snow. From this moment 
till the 26th of the month, three tedious weeks, they 
had to struggle against cold and boisterous weather; to 
walk through snow sometimes two feet deep, over a 
country which scarcely produced a shrub for fuel above 
six inches high ; and to guess their way across an un- 


eranklin*s journey to the polar sea. 425 

known land, unassisted by celestial observations (the 
sun being constantly hid except on two occasions:) and, 
to add to their misery they had before them the appall¬ 
ing* sight of musk oxen, deer, and every ether animal, 
and even the water fowl, (alarmed at the snow,) hurry 
ing to the southward with the utmost speed. In this 
journey of twenty-one days, all the fresh meat which 
they could procure amounted only to five days’ con 
sumption; the sole resource for the rest of the time 
being the tripe de roche , a species of lichen which 
grcAvs on the rocks: even this weed, unpalatable as it 
was, could not always be found, so that one scanty 
meal a day was sometimes all that could be afforded, 
and several days were passed without eating at all. 

The labours of the party in dragging their burdens 
and themselves through the snow, did not end with the 
day. Though they had no food to prepare, it was 
absolutely necessary to have some little fire to thaw 
their frozen shoes at night; and it was no easy task to 
find, and dig from under the snow, a sufficient quantity 
of stunted bushes for this purpose. The fatigue and 
want of food had a very sensible effect on the strength 
and spirits of the Canadian voyageurs, both of which 
were painfully noticed to be sinking very rapidly; yet, 
encouraged by the officers, they endured, for a time, 
their miseries with as much patience as could be ex 
pected. At length, however, on finding the line of 
their route interrupted by frequent lakes, which re¬ 
quired them to make circuitous journeys, and seeing no 
hope of speedily reaching their destined point, they 
began to despair of their safety, and becoming alike 
indifferent to promises or threats, seemed to consider 


426 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 

themselves as liberated from all control. To add to 
the misery which stared them in the face, one of the 
canoes was rendered useless by an accident, and soon 
after, through the inattention and insubordination of 
ome of the party, the other was also dashed to pieces, 
though those who carried it knew, from the course of 
the Copper-mine River, that it would be essentially 
necessary to enable them to cross it. 

On the 26th of September the whole party arrived 
on the banks of this river; and having killed five small 
deer, began to congratulate themselves on their good 
fortune in having procured as much fresh meat as, with 
due care, would serve them till their arrival at Fort 
Enterprize. The weather too had become mild, and 
the Canadians considered their misfortunes at an end; 
but, alas ! they had not yet begun. In the midst of 
their joy they forgot that, in their madness, they had 
deprived themselves of the only means of crossing the 
river which lay between them and their place of desti¬ 
nation. The shores of Point Lake were searched in 
vain for pines to make a raft. The next expedient was 
to collect faggots of dried willows-, and with those to 
frame a sort of float; but this was found an unmanage¬ 
able machine in a stream without the assistance of oars 
or poles. In short, eight whole days mostly of fine 
weather (and the only fine weather they had,) were 
Consumed in devising means for crossing the Copper 
mine River. 

In this hopeless condition, with certain starvation 
staring them in the face, Dr. Richardson, actuated by 
the noble desire of making a last effort for the safety 
of the party, undertook the hazardous enterprise of 


franklin’s journey to the polar sea. 427 

swimming across the stream (about 130 yards) with a 
line attached to his body ; at a time when the mercury 
in the thermometer stood, in the air below the freezing 
-point, and in the water at 38°. He succeeded in 
reaching very nearly the opposite bank when, benumbed 
with cold, he lost the power of moving his limbs, and 
was observed by his anxious companions to disappear 
beneath the surface. It may easily be imagined what 
their feelings were at this moment. They eagerly 
dragged him back by the line, and drew him out of the 
water with little or no hope of restoring animation. 
By wrapping the body in blaftkets, however, rubbing 
it and laying it before a fire, he was at length restored 
to life, but, as might be supposed, remained for some 
time in a very enfeebled state. 

No other person of the party could be found to repeat 
the experiment; but a kind of basket was at length 
constructed which, when covered over with a few frag¬ 
ments of canvass they had luckily preserved, it was 
hoped might enable them to pass the river ; but it was 
capable only of holding one person. In this basket 
Percy St. Germain, one of the interpreters, first volun¬ 
teered to paddle over, carrying with him a line, and 
happily he succeeded; it was then drawn back, and a 
second crossed, and so on until the whole party had 
crossed over without any serious accident, though their 
frail vessel was filled with water at every traverse, and 
generally sunk before it reached the shore. 

It was now the 4th of October, and they were within 
forty miles of Fort Enterprize; but the weather had again 
resumed its severity, the ground was covered with snow, 
the last morsel of their food was expended, and the whole 


428 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



DR. RICHARDSON. 


party miserably reduced by their recent scanty fare, 
and their exertions in crossing the river. Under these 
circumstances Captain Franklin deemed it expedient 
to push forward Mr. Back with three of the voyageurs 
in search of the Indians, who, it was hoped, would be 
found in the neighbourhood of Fort Enterprize. The 
following day the remainder moved forwards, and pro¬ 
cured a meal of tripe de rochc, which produced, how¬ 
ever, such distressing complaints on some of the party, 
and reduced them to such a state of weakness, as to 
oblige them to leave every thing except their personal 
baggage; and even with this tw r o of the people dropped 
behind, about the middle of the second day’s march, 
utterly unable to proceed. Dr. Richardson, weak as 
he was from his late exertion, went back in search of 


franklin’s journey to the polar sea. 429 

these two unfortunate men. He found one of them, at 
the distance of a mile and a half, lying exhausted in 
the snow, talking incoherently, and evidently in a 
dying state ; but of the other he could discover no trace. 
On returning with this information, a halt was made, a 
fire kindled with a few stunted willows, and every argu¬ 
ment used to induce the ablest of the party to endea¬ 
vour to bring forward the poor man who had fallen, 
and renew the search for the other; but they all 
declared their utter inability; and, revolting as it was 
felt to humanity, both were of necessity abandoned to 
their fate. 

As there was every reason to fear that others of the 
party would speedily sink under the combined pressure 
of famine, fatigue, and inclement weather, and as those 
who were strongest had renewed their threats of throw¬ 
ing down their loads, and pushing with their utmost 
speed for Fort Enterprize, though they knew not a foot 
of the way, Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood generously 
proposed to halt at the first place that offered a supply 
of fire-wood, and, with the weak and worn-down of the 
party, to remain there till assistance should be sent to 
them from the Fort. To this arrangement Captain 
Franklin reluctantly consented; but as he had every 
reason to hope that he should find a depot of provisions 
at Fort Enterprize, and a band of Indians in the neigh¬ 
bourhood, according to the arrangement made with Mr. 
Wentzel, he saw no other means of safety. The 
English seaman, John Hepburn, whose willing and 
attentive conduct on all occasions appears to be above 
all praise, volunteered to remain behind. 

i( Their tent,” says Captain Franklin, “ being se* 


430 


PERILOUS -ADVENTURES. 


curely pitched, a few willows were collected, and the 
ammunition and all other articles deposited, except 
each man’s clothing, one tent, a sufficiency of ammuni¬ 
tion for the journey, and the officer’s journals. 1 had 
only one blanket, which was carried for me, and two 
pair of shoes. The offer was now made for any of the 
men, who felt themselves too weak to proceed, to 
remain with the officers, but none of them accepted it. 
Michel alone felt some inclination to do so. After we 
had united in thanksgiving and prayers to Almighty 
God, I separated from my companions, deeply afflicted 
that a train of melancholy circumstances should have 
demanded of me the severe^ trial of parting from friends 
in such a condition,, who had become endeared to me 
by their constant kindness and co-operation, and a par¬ 
ticipation of numerous sufferings. This trial I could 
not have been induced to undergo, but for the reasons 
they had so strongly urged the day before, to which my 
own judgment assented, and for the sanguine hope 1 
felt of either finding a supply of provisions at Fort 
Enterprize, or meeting the Indians in the immediate 
vicinity of that place, according to my arrangements 
with Mr. Wentzel and Akaitcho. Previously to our 
starting, Peltier and Benoit repeated their promises, to 
return to them with provisions, if any should be found 
at the house, or to guide the Indians to them, if any 
were met.” 

The parting took place on the 7th October, at the 
distance of about twenty-four miles from Fort Enter¬ 
prize; the party who proceeded with Captain Franklin 
consisted of eight persons besides himself, of whom two, 
feeling themselves unable to proceed, left him on the 


franklin’s journey to the polar sea. 431 

following day to return to Dr. Richardson ; the next 
day a third fainted; and a fourth, unable to go on was 
sent back;—but one of them only arrived, (and arrived 
to add to their misery—it was Michel, the Iroquois ;) 
the other three were no more heard of. With the 
remaining four Captain Franklin reached the fort on 
the evening of the 11th, in a state of complete exhaus¬ 
tion, having tasted no food for five days, excepting a 
single meal of tripe de roche. This was not the worst; 
to their utter sorrow and dismay, and as a fatal blow to 
every hope by which they had been animated, they 
found the place desolate—no provisions, no Mr. Back, 
no Mr. Wentzel, nor any letter from him to point out 
where the Indians were ! not a trace of any living ani¬ 
mal, and the ground covered with a greater depth of 
snow than it had been in the month of December the 
preceding year. 

Recovered from the first shock of so dreadful a dis¬ 
appointment, a note was observed in the hand-writing 
of Mr. Back, stating that he had reached the house on 
the 9th, and that he had gone on in search of the 
Indians. Four days after this a messenger from him 
brought the exhausted party the woful intelligence that 
his search had been unsuccessful. Solicitous for the 
fate which must inevitably await Dr. Richardson and 
his party ; unable to stir himself, from debility, and the 
only hunter he had with him falling sick, Captain 
Franklin’s situation may more easily be conceived than 
expressed; he rallied his spirits, however, and after 
collecting some old shoes, scraps of leather and skins 
with the hair singed off, their only food after reaching 
the house, he set out, with two of the Canadians, in 


432 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


quest of the Indians, but soon found himself utterly 
unable to proceed, and returned to the house of misery 
and desolation the following day. Hopeless, however, 
as in every way, his situation now appeared to be, this 
allant officer never once uttered a murmur, nor gave 
himself up to despair. He dispatched two of the strong¬ 
est to endeavour to find out the Indians, and inform 
them of their dreadful situation; and kept the other 
three, who were reduced to the last extremity, with 
nimself. 

Eighteen days were passed in this miserable condi¬ 
tion, with no other food than the bones and skins of the 
deer which had been consumed the preceding winter 
boiled down into a kind of soup; when, on the 29th 
October, Dr. Richardson and John Hepburn made their 
appearance, but without the rest of the party. 

“ We were all shocked,” says Captain Franklin,” on 
beholding the emaciated countenances of the Doctor 
and Hepburn, as they strongly evidenced their extreme 
debilitated state. The alteration in our appearance 
was equally distressing to them, for since the swellings 
had subsided we were little more than skin and bone. 
The Doctor particularly remarked the sepulchral tone 
of our voices, which he requested us to make more 
cheerful if possible, unconscious that his own partook 
of the same key. 

The melancholy tale of what had befallen them is 
well and feelingly told by Dr. Richardson. 

It appears that, on the first two days, they had 
nothing whatever to eat; that on the evening of the 
third day, Michel, the only survivin'g man of the four 
whom Captain Franklin had sent baek, arrived with a 


franklin’s journey to the polar SEA. 4o3 

hare and a partridge, which enabled them to break 
their long fast. Another day passed without; eating; 
Mr. Hood very weak and unwell. On the 11th, Michel 
’ brought them part of what he called a wolf, which he 
said had been killed by a stroke of a deer’s horn 
“We implicitly believed this story then,” says Dr. 
Richardson, “ but afterwards became convinced, from 
circumstances, the detail of which may be spared, that 
it must have been a portion of the body of Belanger, 
or Perrault,” two of the unfortunate men whom Cap¬ 
tain Franklin had sent back, and one or both of whom 
it was strongly suspected had fallen by the hands of the 
Iroquois. This man’s bad conduct since his return 
grew daily worse; he absented himself from the party; 
refused either to hunt or to fetch wood; and frequently 
threatened to leave them. Poor Hood was now sinking 
fast; he was unable to eat the tripe de roche (and they 
had nothing else,) on account of the constant griping it 
produced. 

“ At this period we avoided as much as possible con¬ 
versing upon the hopelessness of our situation, and 
generally endeavoured to lead the conversation towards 
our future prospects in life. The fact is that with the 
decay of our strength our minds decayed, and we were 
no longer able to bear the contemplation of the horrors 
that surrounded us. Each of us, if I may be allowed 
to judge from my own case, excused himself from so 
doing by a desire of not shocking the feelings of the 
others, for we were sensible of one another’s weakness 
of intellect, though blind to our own. Yet we were 
calm and resigned to our fate, not a murmur escaped 

3T 


434 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


us, and we were punctual and fervent in our addresses 
to the Supreme Being.” 

Never certainly were the blessings of religion more 
strongly felt than in the case of these excellent men, 
when to all human appearance their case was utterly 
hopeless ; yet nothing like despondency, not a murmur 
ever escaped from their lips. 

“ Through the extreme kindness and forethought of a 
lady, the party, previous to leaving London, had been 
furnished with a small collection of religious hooks, of 
which we still retained two or three of the most port¬ 
able, and they proved of incalculable benefit to us. We 
read portions of them to each other as we lay in bed, in 
addition to the morning and evening service, and found 
that they inspired us on each perusal with so strong a 
sense of the omnipresence of a beneficent God, that our 
situation, even in these wilds, appeared no longer desti¬ 
tute ; and we conversed, not only with -calmness, but 
with cheerfulness, detailing with unrestrained confidence 
the past events of our lives, and dwelling with hope on 
our future prospects. Had my poor friend (Mr. Hood) 
been spared to revisit his native land, I should look 
back to this period with unalloyed delight.” 

Five days more passed on without any food except a 
little tripe de roche collected by Hepburn, the Iroquois 
continuing sulky, and though strongest of the party, 
refusing to contribute to its relief; but it was strongly 
suspected he had a hidden supply of meat for his own 
use. Seeing the determined obstinacy and refractory 
spirit of this man, Dr. Richardson had told him, that 
if no relief came from Fort Enterprize before the 20th, 
Hepburn and himself should be dispatched thither with 















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• : 























£ <- Y 










' 






















■ V*S. . 















FRANKLIN’S JOURNEY TO T1IF POLAR SEA. 43i 



LIEUTENANT HOOD. 


a compass, by the direction of which they might he ena¬ 
bled to find the house. On that very day, however, as 
Hepburn was cutting wood near the tent, and Dr. Rich¬ 
ardson was collecting tripe de roche, the miscreant 
assassinated Mr. Hood while sitting over the fire in the 
last stage of disease and debility. The ball entered the 
back part of his head and set fire to his nightcap. 
Hepburn had heard them conversing in an angry tone, 
and immediately after, the report of a gun; and on 
looking towards the spot, observed Michel rise from 
behind the spot where Mr. Hood had been sitting, and 
dart into the tent. It was at once clear, from the great 
length of the gun which had been discharged, that such 
a wound could only have’been inflicted by a second 
person ; and if any doubt could have existed as to the 
murderer, Michel’s own conduct would at once have 


438 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


removed it. From this time he would never suffer the 
two remaining of the party to be together for a mo¬ 
ment ; he was constantly asking if they suspected him 
of the murder ? sometimes he made use of threatening 
anguage ; at other times muttering to himself, and 
throwing out obscure hints of freeing himself from all 
restraint. In short, as they proceeded on their disma 
journey to join their companions at Fort Enterprize, 
his conduct became so violent and outrageous, as to 
convince both the Doctor and Hepburn that he would 
attempt to destroy them the first opportunity that 
offered. His strength was superior to theirs united, 
and he had, besides his gun, two pistols, an Indian 
bayonet, and a knife. On coming to a rock, he, for 
the first time left them together, saying he would stop 
to gather some tripe de roche , and desired them to go 
on. Hepburn now mentioned certain circumstances, 
which satisfied Dr. Richardson that there was no safety 
for them but in his death, and he offered to be the 
instrument of it. “ I determined, however,” says Dr. 
Richardson, “ as I was thoroughly convinced of the 
necessity of such a dreadful act, to take the whole 
responsibility upon myselfj and immediately upon 
Michel’s coming up, I put an end to his life by shooting 
him through the head w r ith a pistol: had my own life 
alone,” he continues, “been threatened, I would not 
have purchased it by such a measure; but I considered 
myself as intrusted also with the protection of Hep¬ 
burn’s, a man, who, by his humane attentions and 
devotedness, had so endeared himself to me, that I felt 
more anxiety for his safety than for my own.” Michel 
nad gathered no tripe de roche; and it was quite evi* 


franklin’s journey to the polar sea. 439 

dent that he had halted for no other purpose than that 
of putting his gun in order, to destroy them that same 
evening while engaged in setting up the tent. 

Dr. Richardson seems to have no doubt that a very 
short time must have put an end to the sufferings of 
Mr. Hood. On his zeal, ability, and goodness of heart, 
both he and Captain Franklin bestow unqualified praise. 

“ The loss,” says the former, “ of a young officer of 
such distinguished and varied talents and application, 
may be felt and duly appreciated by the eminent cha¬ 
racters under whose command he had served; but the 
calmness with which he contemplated the prob'able ter¬ 
mination of a life of uncommon promise; and the 
patience and fortitude with which he sustained, I may 
say, unparalleled bodily sufferings, can only be known 
to the companions of his distresses.” 

After dragging along their famished bodies for six 
days, existing on lichens and pieces of the skin cloak 
of poor Mr. Hood, on the 29th they came in sight 
of the fort at dusk ; “ and,” says Dr. Richardson, “ it 
is impossible to describe our sensations, when, on 
attaining the eminence that overlooks it, we beheld the 
smoke issuing from one of the chimneys. From not 
having met with any footsteps in the snow, as we drew 
nigh our once cheerful residence, we had been agitated 
by many melancholy forebodings. Upon entering the 
now desolate building, we had the satisfaction of 
embracing Captain Franklin, but no words can convey 
an idea of the filth and wretchedness that met our eyes 
on looking around. Our own misery had stolen upon 
us by degrees, and we were accustomed to the contem- 
olation of each other’s emaciated figures, but the 


440 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


ghastly countenances, dilated eye-balls, and sepulchral 
voices of Mr. Franklin and those with him were more 
than we could at first bear.” 

An idea may be formed of the dreadful state to which 
the Captain’s party Were reduced, by the death of two 
of them, two days after the arrival of Dr. Richardson 
and Hepburn. The only remaining man and Captain 
Franklin were so utterly unable to assist themselves 
that eight-and-forty hours, and probably half that time, 
would have put an end to their misery. The whole 
labour, therefore, of procuring fire-wood, and scraping 
together the old pieces of skins, and fragments of bone, 
devolved on Dr. Richardson and Hepburn, whose 
strength was now rapidly declining, and very nearly 
exhausted, when, providentially, on the Tth of Novem¬ 
ber, the long-expected relief arrived, by the hands of 
three Indians sent by Mr. Back. The condition to 
which the four survivors were reduced, is thus described 
by Captain Franklin. 

“ I may here remark, that, owing to our loss of flesh, 
the hardness of the floor, from which we were only 
protected by a blanket, produced soreness over the 
body, and especially those parts on which the weight 
rested in lying, yet, to turn ourselves for relief was a 
matter of toil and difficulty. However, during this 
period, and indeed all along after the acute pains of 
unger, which lasted but three or four days, had sub¬ 
sided, we generally enjoyed the comfort of a few 
hours’ sleep. The dreams which for the most part, but 
not always accompanied it, were usually, (though not 
invariably,) of a pleasant character, being very ofteiL 
about the enjoyment of feasting. In the day time we 


FRANKLIN’S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA. 441 


fell into the practice of conversing on common and light 
subjects, although we sometimes discussed with serious¬ 
ness and earnestness topics connected with religion. We 
generally avoided speaking directly of our present suffer¬ 
ings, or even of the prospect of relief. I observed that 
in proportion as our strength decayed, our minds exhi¬ 
bited symptoms of weakness, evinced by a kind of unrea¬ 
sonable pettishness with each other. Each of us thought 
the other weaker in intellect than himself, and more in 
need of advice and assistance. So trifling a circumstance 
as a change of place, recommended by one as being 
warmer and more comfortable, and refused by the other 
from a dread of motion, frequently called forth fretful 
expressions which were no sooner uttered than atoned 
for, to be repeated perhaps in the course of a few min¬ 
utes. The same thing often occurred when we endea¬ 
voured to assist each other in carrying wood to the fire ; 
none of us were willing to receive assistance, although 
the task was disproportioned to our strength. On one of 
these occasions Hepburn was so convinced of this way¬ 
wardness that he exclaimed, ‘Dear me, if we are 
spared to return to England, I wonder if we shall 
recover our understandings.’ ” 

Nothing could be kinder and more humane than the 
conduct of the Indians. They cleaned out the room, 
cooked their victuals, had them washed and made com¬ 
fortable, and after leaving the fort, attended them to 
the spot where their tribe were engaged in hunting; 
giving up their own snow-shoes, keeping by their sides, 
lifting them up when they fell; and finally conducting 
them in safety to the nearest of the Company’s posts, 
where they met with their companion, Back, whose suf- 


44 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES 


ferings had scarcely been less than *their own, and to 
whose exertions the survivors of the party unquestion¬ 
ably owed their safety. One of the two Canadians w r ho 
had accompanied Mr. Back, fell a sacrifice to cold, hun¬ 
ger, and fatigue. Here Mr. Wentzel endeavoured to ex¬ 
culpate himself, by an explanation of the unfortunate 
circumstances which prevented him from fulfilling Cap¬ 
tain Franklin’s instructions, which the latter seems to 
think satisfactory—we confess we do not; whether from 
indifference, or a remnant of the old leaven clinging 
about him, he certainly appears to have used very little 
exertion in their behalf. 







* 





ITALIAN BEGGARS. 







































































































































































































































































ROMAN PEASANT8. 


AN EARTHQUAKE ADVENTURE IN ITALY 


raHE sound had not quite died away, 
when the feet I stood on seemed sud- 
denly seized with the cramp. Cup 
and coffee-pot dropped as deVl from 
Don Marzio’s hand as the ball from 
St. Francis’s palm. There was a rush 
as if of many waters, and for about ten seconds my 
head was overwhelmed by awful dizziness, which numbed 
and paralyzed all sensation. Don Marzio, in form an 
athlete, in heart a lion, but a man of sudden, sanguine 
temperament, bustled up and darted out of the room 
with the ease of a man never burdened with a wife, 
with kith or kin. Donna Betta, a portly matron, also 
rose instinctively; but I—I never could account for 
the odd freak—laid hold of her arm, bidding her stay. 



I 










146 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


The roar of eight hundred houses—or how many more 
can there he in Aquila ?—all reeling and quaking, the 
yells of ten thousand voices in sudden agony, had 
wholly subsided ere I allowed the poor woman calmly 
and majestically to waddle up to her good man in the 
garden. That, I suppose, was my notion of an orderly 
retreat. Rosalbina had flown from a window into the 
lawn, like a bird. Thank God, we found ourselves all 
in the open air under the broad canopy of heaven. We 
began to count heads. Yes, there we all stood—cook, 
laundry-maid, dairy-maids, stable-boys, all as obedient 
to the awful summons as the best disciplined troops at 
the first roll of the drum. 

It was February, as I have twice observed; and we 
were in the heart of the highest Apennines. The day 
was rather fine, but pinching cold; and when the fever 
of the first terror abated, the lady and young lady 
began to shiver in every limb. No one dared to break 
silence; but Don Marzio’s eye wandered significantly 
enough from one to another countenance in that awe- 
stricken group. There was no mistaking his appeal. 
Yet, one after another, his menials and labourers re¬ 
turned his gaze with well-acted perplexity. No one so 
dull of apprehension as those who will not understand. 
My good friends, I was three-and-twenty. I had had 
my trials, and could boast of pretty narrow escapes. 

may haye been reckless, perhaps, in my day. I smiled 
dimly, nodded to the old gentleman, clapped my handa 
cheerily, and the next moment was once more where 
no man in Aquila would at that moment have liked to 
be for the world—under a roof. 1 made a huge armful 
of cloaks apd blankets*, snapped up every rag with all 


AN EARTHQUAKE ADVENTURE IN ITALY. 447 

the haste of a marauding party, and moved toward the 
door, tottering under the encumbrance. But now the 
dreadful crisis was at hand. 

Earthquakes, it is well known, proceed by action 
and re-action. The second shock, I was aware, must 
be imminent. I had just touched the threshold, anu 
stood under the porch, when that curious spasmodic 
sensation once more stiffened every muscle in my limbs. 
Presently I felt myself lifted up from the ground. I 
was now under the portico, and was hurled against the 
pillar on my right; the rebound again drove me to the 
post on the opposite side; and after being thus repeat¬ 
edly tossed and buffeted from right to left like a shut¬ 
tlecock, I w T as thrust down, outward, on the ground on 
my head, with all that bundle of rags, having tumbled 
headlong the whole range of the four marble steps of 
entrance. The harm, however, was not so great as the 
fright; and, thanks to my gallant devotion, the whole 
party were wrapped and blanketed, till they looked 
like a party of wild Indians; we stood now on com¬ 
paratively firm ground, and had leisure to look about 
us. Don Marzio’s garden was open and spacious, being 
bounded on three sides by the half-crumbling wall of 
the town. On the fourth side was the house—a good, 
substantial fabric, but now miserably shaky and rickety. 
Close by the house was the chapel of the Ursuline con¬ 
vent, and above that its splendid spire rose chaste and 
stainless, “ pointing the way to heaven.” Any rational 
being might have deemed himself sufficiently removed 
from brick and mortar, and, in so far, out of harm’s 
way. Not so Don Marzio. He pointed to the shadow 
of that spire, which, in the pale wintry sunset, stretched 


448 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 

all the way across his garden, and by a strange per¬ 
version of judgment, he contended that so far as the 
shadow extended, there might also the body that cast 
it reach in its fall, for fall it obviously must; and as 
the danger was pressing, he deemed it unwise to discuss 
which of the four cardinal points the tower might feel 
a leaning toward, whenever, under the impulse of the 
subterranean scourge, it would “ look around and choose 
its ground.” Don Marzio was gifted with animal 
courage, and even nerve, proportionate to the might of 
his stalwart frame. But then his was merely a com 
bative spirit. Thews and sinews were of no avail in 
the case. The garden was no breathing ground for 
him, and he resolved upon prompt emigration. 

The people of Aquila, as indeed you may well know, 
of most towns in Southern Italy, have the habit of— 
consequently a peculiar talent for—earthquakes. They 
know how to deal with them, and are seldom caught 
unprepared. Two hundred yards outside the town gate, 
there is half a square mile of table-land on the summit 
of a hill—a market-place in days of ease, a harbour of 
refuge in the urgency of peril. From the first dropping 
of the earth-ball from the hand of their guardian saint, 
the most far-sighted among the inhabitants had been 
busy pitching their tents. The whole population— 
those, that is, who had escaped unscathed by flying 
tiles and , chimney-pots—were now swarming there, 
pulling, pushing, hauling, and hammering away for 
very life; with women fainting, children screeching, 
Capuchins preaching. It was like a little rehearsal of 
doomsday. Don Marzio, a prudent housekeeper, had 
the latch-key of a private door at the back of the garden 


AN EARTHQUAKE ADVENTURE IN ITALY. 449 

He threw it open—not without a misgiving at the 
moss-grown wall overhead. That night the very stars 
did not seem to him sufficiently firm nailed to the firma¬ 
ment ! His family and dependents trooped after him, 
eager to follow. Rosalbina looked back—at one who 
was left behind. Don Marzio felt he owed me at least 
one word of leave-taking. lie hemmed twice, came 
back two steps, and gave me a feverish shake of the 
hand. 

“ I am heartily sorry for you, my boy,” he cried. 
“ A fuoruscito , as I may say, a bird-in-the-bush—you 
dare not show your nose outside the door. You would 
not compromise yourself alone, you know, but all of us 
and our friends; we must leave you—safe enough 
here, I dare say,” with a stolen glance at the Ursuline 
spire, “but—you see—imperative duties—head of a 
family—take care of the females—and so, God bless 
you!” 

With this he left me there, under the deadly shape 
of the steeple—deadlier to him than the upas-tree; 
ordered his little household band out, and away they 
filed, one by one, the heayl of the family manfully 
closing the rear. . . . 

I was alone—'alone with the earthquake. 

There was a wood-cellar in one of the out-houses, access 
to which was easy and safe. One of my host’s domes¬ 
tics had slipped flint and steel into my hands. In les3 
than half-an-hour’s time, a cheerful fire was crackling 
before me. I drew forth an old lumbering arm-chair 
from the wood-cellar, together with my provision and 
fuel. I shrouded myself in the ample folds of one of 
Don Marzio’s riding-cloaks; I sat with folded arms, 
38 * 



450 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


my eyes riveted on the rising blaze, summoning all my 
spirits round my heart, and bidding it to bear up. The 
sun had long set, and the last gleam of a sickly twilight 
-apidly faded. A keen, damp, northeast wind swept 
ver the earth; thin, black, ragged clouds flitted before 
it, like uneasy ghosts. A stray star twinkled here and 
there in the firmament, and the sickle-shaped moon 
hung in the west. But the light of those pale lumina¬ 
ries was wan and fitful. They seemed to be aware of 
the hopelessness of their struggle, and to mourn in 
anticipation of the moment when they should faint in 
flight, and unrelieved darkness should lord it over the 
fields of the heavens. 

The town of Aquila, or the Eagle, as the natives 
name it, is perched, eagle-like, on the brow of an abrupt 
cliff in,the bosom of the loftiest Apennines. Mont 
Reale, Monte Velino, and the giant of the whole chain, 
the “ Gra^ Sasso d’ltalia,” look down upon it from 
their exalted thrones. Within the shelter of that mas¬ 
sive armour, the town might well seem invulnerable to 
time and man. But, as I gazed despondingly round, 
the very hills everlasting seemed rocking from their 
foundation, and their crests nodding to destruction. 
Which of those mighty peaks was .to open the fire of 
hell’s artillery upon us? Was not Etna once as still 
and dark as yonder great rock ? and yet it now glares 
by night with its ominous beacon, and cities and king¬ 
doms have been swept away at its base. 

Two hours passed away in gloomy meditation. The 
whole town was a desert. The camp meeting of the 
unhoused Aquilani was held somewhere in the distance: 
its confused murmur reached me not. Only my neigh- 


AN EARTHQUAKE ADVENTURE IN ITALY. 451 

hours, the Ursuline nuns, were up and awake. With 
shrinking delicacy, dreading the look and touch of the 
profane even more than the walls of their prison -house, 
they had stood their ground with the heroism of true 
faith, and reared their temporary asylum under their 
vine-canopied bowers, within the shade of the cloisters. 
A high garden-wall alone separated me from the holy 
virgins. They were watching, and kneeling. Every 
note from their silver voices sank deep in my heart, 
and impressed me with something of that pious confi¬ 
dence, of that imploring fervour, with which they ad¬ 
dressed their guardian angels and saints. Two hours 
had passed. The awfulness of prevailing tranquillity, 
the genial warmth of my fire, and the sweet monotony 
of that, low, mournful chanting, were by degrees gliding 
into my troubled senses, and lulling them into a treacher 
ous security. “Just so,” I reasoned, “shock and 
countershock. The terrible scourge has by this time 
exhausted his strength. It wns only a farce, after all. 
Much ado about nothing. The people of this town 
have become so familiar with the earthquake that they 
make a carnival of it. By this time they are perhaps 
feasting and rioting under their booths. *' Ho! am I 
the only craven here? And had I not my desire? 
Am I not now on speaking terms with an earth¬ 
quake ?” 

Again my words conjured up the waking enemy. A 
low, hollow, rumbling noise, as if from many hundred 
miles’ distance, was heard coming rapidly onward along 
the whole line of the Apennines. It reached us, it 
seemed to stop underneath our feet, and suddenly 
changing its horizontal for a vertical direction, it burst 


452 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


upward. The whole earth heaved with a sudden pang; 
it then gave a backward bound, even as a vessel ship¬ 
ping a sea. The motion then became undulatory, and 
spread far and wide as the report of a cannon, awaken¬ 
ing every echo in the mountain. There was a rattle 
and clatter in the town, as if of a thousand wagons 
shooting down paving stones. The Ursuline steeple 
waved in the air like a reed vexed by the blast. The 
chair I stood on was all but capsized, and the fire at 
my feet was overthrown. The very vault of heaven 
swung to and fro, ebbing and heaving with the general 
convulsion. The doleful psalmody in the neighbouring 
ground broke abruptly. The chorus of many feminine 
voices sent forth but one rending shriek. The clamour 
of thousands of the town-folks from their encampment 
gave its wakeful response. Then the dead silence of 
consternation ensued. I picked up every stick and 
brand that had been scattered about, steadied myself 
in my chair, and hung down my head. “ These black 
hounds,” I mused, “ hunt in couples. Now for the 
repercussion.” 

I had not many minutes to wait. Again the iron 
hoofed steeds and heavy wheels of the state chariot of 
the prince of darkness were heard tramping and rat¬ 
tling in their course. Once more the subterranean 
avalanche gathered and burst. Once more the ground 
eneath throbbed and heaved as if with rending travail. 
Once more heaven and earth seemed to yearn to each 
other; and the embers of my w^atch-fire were cast up¬ 
ward and strewn asunder. It was an awful long winter 
night. The same, sable clouds rioting in the sky, the 
same cruel wind moaning angrily through the chinks 


AN EARTHQUAKE ADVENTURE IN ITALY. 453 

and crevices of many a shattered edifice. Solitude, the 
chillness of night, and the vagueness, even more than 
the inevitableness, of the danger, wrought fear¬ 
fully on my exhausted frame. Stupor and lethargy 
soon followed these brief moments of speechless excite¬ 
ment. Bewildered imagination peopled the air with 
vague, unutterable terrors. Legions of phantoms 
sported on those misshapen clouds. The clash of a 
thousand swords was borne on the wind. Tongues of 
living flame danced and quivered in every direction. 
The firmament seemed all burning with them. I saw 
myself alone, helpless, hopeless, the miserable butt of 
all the rage of warring elements. It was an uncom¬ 
fortable night. Ten and twelve times was the dreadful 
visitation reproduced between sunset and sunrise, and 
every shock found me more utterly unnerved; and the 
sullen, silent resignation with which I recomposed and 
trimmed my fire had something in it consummately ab¬ 
ject, by the side of the doleful accents with which the 
poor half-hoarse nuns, my neighbours, called on the 
blessed Virgin for protection. 

The breaking morn found me utterly prostrated; 
and when Don Marzio’s servants had so far recovered 
from their panic as to intrude upon my solitude, and 
offer their services for the erection of my tent in the 
garden, I had hardly breath enough left to welcome 
them. Under that tent I passed days and nights dur¬ 
ing all the remainder of February. The shocks, though 
diminished in strength, almost nightly roused us from 
our rest. But the people of Aquila soon learned to 
despise them. By one, by two, by three they sought 
the threshold of their dismantled homes. Last of all, 


454 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES, 


Don Marzio folded his tent. His fears having, finally, 
so far given way, as to allow him to think of something 
beside himself, he exerted himself to free me from con¬ 
finement. He furnished me with faithful guides, by 
whose aid I reached the sea-coast. Here a Maltese 
vessel was waiting to waft me to a land of freedom and 
security. I can tell you, my friends, that from that 
time I was cured forever of all curiosity about earth 
quakes 







- 


v* • 




>' 











4 



HALIFAX. 



























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































V 
















-» 

* 

• • 

; I- ' . . 










' 

























































ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HEAD IN 
CANADA. 

N 1829 Captain Head pub 
lished a very entertaining 
volume entitled “ Forest 
Scenes and Incidents, in 
the Wilds of North Amer¬ 
ica ; being a Diary of a win 
ter’s route from Halifax 
to the Canadas, and during 
a four months’ Residence 
in the Woods, on the borders of Lakes Huron and 
Simco©*” 








458 PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



8T. JOHNS. 


Captain Head, being ordered to a station in Upper 
Canada, landed at Halifax in the latter end of Novem¬ 
ber ; the passage of the river St. Lawrence was al¬ 
ready closed, and he had therefore to make his way 
thither over land, a distance of more than twelve hun¬ 
dred miles. The time of year could hardly have been 
worse for the journey: though November is to the 
Nova Scotians their best month, so much so, indeed, 
as to be called, for its 4 fresh frosty air and bright sun,’ 
he Indian summer. 

He went from Halifax, through Annapolis, St. 
John’s, and Fredericton, to Presque Isle. Here, to 
his great satisfaction, the Quebec mail arrived, in the 
shape of 44 two men on foot, of a tempest-driven ap¬ 
pearance their clothes and caps covered with snow 







































ADVENTURES VI CAPTAIN HEAD. 459 

each with a pair of snow-shoes slung at his back, and 
a large white leather bag across his shoulders. They 
were both native French Canadians, one apparently 
of half Indian blood. With these men he agreed, 
to be his guides, and draw his baggage on the two tobo- 
gins, from Presque Isle, along the course of the river 
by the Madawaska settlement and Lake Tamasquatha. 
to the shore of the St. Lawrence, for fifteen pounds. 
The distance is upwards of one hundred and fifty 
miles; and there is a line of small log-houses on the 
way, occupied by settlers, to whom grants of land 
have been ceded, for the purpose of keeping open the 
communication. These men had the bags from Que¬ 
bec ; they were, when rid of them, to join him at the 
house of Mr. Turner, at Presque Isle. There he 
was detained eight-and-forty hours, waiting first their 
arrival, and then their convenience; and the descrip¬ 
tion of his host, who was the chief diplomatist in those 
parts, and, moreover, a man in authority, and the ac¬ 
count of his establishment, presents a lively picture of 
civilized life (as that which is not savage must in cour¬ 
tesy be called) in its coarsest state. 

The party consisted of Mr. Head and his servant, 
three travellers who joined at Mr. Turner’s, and the 
two guides. The guides loaded the tobogins, each put 
himself in harness, with a broad leathern strap passing 
over the breast and shoulders, to which a rope was 
fixed, and thus ha could draw his load, while his arms 
were at liberty. The weight, slidiftg easily over the 
snow, seemed scarcely to impede them, accustomed, as 
they were, to such draft and such travelling. But the 
rest of the party were unused to snow-shoes, the use 


460 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


of which is not acquired without a severe apprentice¬ 
ship. These are heavy, and they soon became heavily 
incumbered with ice, there being much water between 
the surface of the river and the snow, which froze im¬ 
mediately. It was necessary to be provided with short 
sticks for beating this off. Before them was one uni¬ 
form white expanse of snow, on each side ‘ the heavy 
black wall of forest frees.’ With their utmost exer¬ 
tions they could not proceed at the rate of two miles 
an hour; and happy they were, after seven hours’ toil, 
to reach their appointed place of rest,—a small log- 
house, at the computed distance of ten miles from Mr. 
Turner’s. Salted pork and sliced potatoes were the 
only fare which could be procured here; but there was 
the greatest of all comforts in such a country, to com¬ 
pensate for this,—a fire, composed of enormous logs, 
with one called the buche at the back of the hearth, so 
large as to require the strength of two or three men, 
with the aid of levers, to bring it in: a large one lasts 
full eight-and-forty hours. Over the fire the mocas¬ 
sins and stockings of all the party were hung to dry. 
To beds, as well as all other comforts, except what fire 
could bestow, Mr. Head had bidden adieu; but he 
thought his lodging good, wrapped himself in his buffa¬ 
lo skin, and slept soundly on the boards. The next 
day’s was a journey of fourteen miles; snow had fall¬ 
en in the night, which, as it still lay soft, made their 
progress, if that were possible, more difficult than be¬ 
fore ; at every step, the foot felt as if chained to the 
ground by ice and clotted snow: and, as the shores of 
the river widened, the feeling of disappointment was 
added to their labour; the point on which their eyes 


ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HEAD 461 

were wistfully fixed, appeared, after an hour’s hard 
fagging, hardly nearer than before ; they “ seemed sep¬ 
arated by interminable space, from headland after 
headland, and gasping, as it were, under a sort of spell¬ 
bound influence, such a disturbed dream brings to the 
imagination.” Mr. Head’s servant fell up to his middle 
in an air-hole, small enough for him to support himself 
by the arms till he could be pulled out, and, fortu¬ 
nately, so near the log-house where they were to rest, that 
there was not time for him to be frozen. At this log- 
house some settlers in the vicinity had collected, one of 
whom requested Mr. Head to take charge of a letter 
for his relations in Scotland, from whom it was very 
long since he had heard any tidings He “ seated him¬ 
self on the ground, in a corner of the room; his desk 
was a plate supported on his knees; his paper was as 
bad as well could be; his ink newly thawed and quite 
pale; his pen, pulled out of a wild goose’s tail, was 
oily; his own hand was as hard as the bark of a tree; 
and his broad black thumb had been smashed by the 
blow of a hammer or an axe, and had no sort of bend 
in it.” This, however, was a fortunate opportunity for 
this poor man; and the letter which, under these un¬ 
comfortable circumstances, he produced, was subse¬ 
quently delivered to its address. Mr. Head very prd- 
perly remarks upon this,—that “ the difficulties attend¬ 
ing the interchange of letters between settlers in the 
colonies and their friends at home, are well worthy 
the attention of those desirous to promote emigration. 
The greater the facility of correspondence, the more 
the stimulus to individual adventure receives strength. 
Epistolary intercourse being kept up, the objections to 
39* 


462 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


foreign residence more resemble prejudices; withb a« 
or delayed, they become solid, undeniable objections, 
and then it is that an emigrant may be considered 
really an exile.” 

He had perceived, by his servant’s fall into the air¬ 
hole, that no precaution could be of any avail against 
this danger; and that nothing was to be done but to 
take the chance, in' such a case, for ducking or for 
drowning. The postmen, it appeared next day, were 
of the same opinion ; and, showing how little they liked 
the chance, proposed that each of the party should walk 
first, by tmrns. They were, perhaps, as much influ¬ 
enced in this by .the desire of easing their labour as 
diminishing their danger; for the first man had to make 
his way upon the untrodden snow,—and upon the large 
track of his snow shoes, those who followed found 
what was comparatively firm footing. The guides pre¬ 
scribed their course according to their notion of the safety 
of the ice, which, as it could be founded only on their 
recollected knowledge of the river, was but blind guid¬ 
ance ; yet they made long circuitous paths in conse¬ 
quence. A snow-storm came on directly in their 
teeth ; when they had been little more than seven hours 
on the way, it blew a hurricane: they were unable to 
see each other at a greater distance than ten yards ; 
and the drift made the surface of the snow, through 
which they were toiling, appear like an agitated sea. 
Wheeled round every now and then by the wind, the 
cloud which enveloped them was so strong, that it pro* 
duced a sense of suffocation. Even the indefatigable 
guides admitted that it was impossible to proceed: the 
forest was at hand, and there they took refuge—turn- 


ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HEAD. 463 

ing their ‘shoulders to the blast—and prepared to bi¬ 
vouac for the night. His companions were prepared 
for such an adventure. He says, 

“ The frequent crashes of falling trees, and the 
cracking of their vast limbs as they rocked and writhed 
in the tempest, created awful and impressive sounds; 
but it was no time to be idle: warmth and shelter were 
objects connected with life itself, and the Canadians 
immediately commenced the vigorous application of 
their resources. By means of their small light axes, 
a good sized maple tree was in a very few minutes lev¬ 
elled with the earth, and in the mean time we cleared 
of snow a square spot of ground, with large pieces of 
bark ripped from the fallen trees. The fibrous bark 
of the white cedar, previously rubbed to powder be¬ 
tween the hands, was ignited, and blowing upon this, a 
flame was produced. This being fed, first by the silky 
peelings of the birch bark, and then by the bark itself, 
the oily and bituminous matter burst forth into full 
action, and a splendid fire raised its flames and smoke 
amidst a pile of huge logs, to which one and all of us 
were constantly and eagerly contributing. 

“ Having raised a covering of spruce boughs above 
our heads, to serve as a partial defence from the snow, 
which was still falling in great abundance, we sat down, 
turning our feet to the fire, making the most of what 
was, ^nder circumstances, a source of real consolation 
We enjoyed absolute rest! One side of our squar. 
was bounded by a huge tree, which lay stretched across 
it. Against this our fire was made; and on the oppo¬ 
site side towards which I had turned my back, another 
very large one was growing, and into this latter, 


464 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


being old and decayed, I bad by degrees worked my 
way, and it formed an admirable shelter. The snow 
was banked up on all sides nearly five feet high, like a 
white wall; and it resolutely maintained its position, 
not an atom yielding to the fierce crackling fire which 
olazed up close against it. 

“ The Canadians were soon busily employed cooking 
broth in a saucepan, for they had provided themselves 
much better with provisions than I had. I had relied 
upon being able to put up with the fare I might meet 
with, not taking into consideration the want of traffic, 
and distance from the civilized parts of the province; 
owing to which, the scanty provision of the inhabi¬ 
tants could not allow them to minister to the wants of 
others, although they might be provided with a suffi¬ 
ciency for themselves. And I now saw the guides pull¬ 
ing fresh meat out of the soup with their fingers, and 
sharing it liberally with my servant, whom they had 
admitted into their mess. The poor fellows seeing 
that I had nothing but a piece of salted pork, which I 
had toasted at the fire on a stick, offered me a share 
of their supper, but this I felt myself bound to decline. 
My servant had fewer scruples, and consequently fared 
better. In return for their intentions I gave them a 
good allowance of whisky, which added to their com¬ 
fort and increased their mirth. One by one they lighted 
heir tobacco pipes, and continued to smoke; till, 
dropping off by degrees, the whole party at last lay 
stretched out snoring before me. 

“ Large flakes of snow continued to fall, and heavy 
clots dropped occasionally upon the ground. Our 
enormous fire had the effect of making me so comfort- 


ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HEAD. 465 

ably warm, that I had deferred the use of my buffalo 
skin till I lay down to sleep, and were it not for the 
volumes of smoke with which I was at times disturbed, 
and the pieces of fire which burnt holes in my clothes 
wherever they happened to fall, my lodging would hav 
been, under circumstances, truly agreeable. I sat for 
some time, with a blanket thrown over'my shoulders, 
in silent contemplation of a scene alike remarkable to 
me for its novelty and its dreariness. 

“ The flames rose brilliantly, the sleeping figures of 
the men were covered with snow, the wind whistled 
wildly through the trees, whose majestic forms over¬ 
shadowed us on every side, and our fire, while it shed 
the light of day on the immediately surrounding ob¬ 
jects, diffused a deeper gloom over the farther recesses 
of the forest. And thus I remained without any incli¬ 
nation to sleep, till it was near midnight. A solemn 
impression, not to be called melancholy, weighed hea¬ 
vily upon me. The satisfaction with which I regarded 
the fatigue which had gone by, was hardly sufficient 
to inspire confidence as to what was to come; and this 
reflection it was, perhaps, that gave a colour to my 
thoughts at once serious and pleasing. Distant scenes 
were brought t6 my recollection, and I mused on past 
one times, till my eyes became involuntarily attracted 
by the filmy, wandering leaves of fire, which ascending 
lightly over the tops of the trees, for a moment ri¬ 
valled in brightness the absent stars, and then—vanished 
forever! . . . I became overpowered with sleep, 

and, wrapping my buffalo skin around me, sank down 
to enjoy for several hours sound and uninterrupted re¬ 
pose. I slept heartily till day-light, when I awoke 


466 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


feeling excessively cold, and found the whcle party sit 
ting up. The snow had ceased to fall, the sky had 
brightened, and intense frost had set in.” 

Long as this extract is, the singularity of the situa¬ 
tion, and the liveliness of the description, have tempted 
us to insert it. On beginning to move, Mr. Head 
found his limbs stiff with cold, and an aching sensation 
about his ancles, which made him apprehend that he 
should not escape that painful consequence of his ap¬ 
prenticeship in snow-shoes, called by the Canadians 
mal-a-raquette —it is a violent inflammation and swell¬ 
ing of the instep and ancles. But the morning was 
bright and elear; and such is the exhilarating effect of 
clear frost, in any endurable degree, upon the healthy 
frame, that he felt his spirits renovated, and new 
strength and elasticity in his limbs. Six hours brought 
them to Salmon River, which was twenty-two miles 
from the house at which they had slept last. Their 
host w’as an old soldier, settled upon an allotment of 
one hundred and five acres. The next day the ice 
broke under one of their guides, and he fell into the 
water: there was a piercing wund to increase the sever¬ 
ity of the cold, and no house within reach. They has¬ 
tened to the bank, and kindled a fire - with their best 
speed—but the man’s feet were frost-bitten before he 
could have the benefit of it. At a moderate distance 
from the fire, his companion rubbed him with snow till 
the circulation returned; and in little more than half 
an hour, he was able to proceed. These men are as 
hardy as the bears, wolves and foxes, whose territory 
they have invaded. Four hours brought them to the 
house of a serjeant at the Grand Falls, where a small 


ADVENTURES OE CAPTAIN HEAD. 107 

military establishment, as at Presque Isle, was kept up 
for the sake of the communication. Mr. Head visited 
the falls, at no little hazard ; but we must refer the 
reader to the book itself for his lively description.— 
The next morning “ broke clear and cold,” exhibiting, 
he says, “ a loveliness of nature peculiar to the Cana¬ 
dian climate, and sufficient to dissipate every sensation 
of pain and weariness: a rare combination of frost and 
sunshine, such as, without being seen and felt can 
hardly be imagined. The wind was hushed to perfect 
stillness; and as we walked along, our hair, our seven- 
days’ beard, and the edges of our caps, our eyebrows, 
and even our eyelashes, were as white as a powdering of 
*snow gould make them. In the mean time, the warmth 
of the sun gave a sensation of peculiar purity to the 
air.” We have winter weather in England in which 
this bracing and exhilarating effect is perceptible; and 
the same sense of purity in the air is experienced in 
summer on our mountains. 

A journey of fifteen miles brought them to the Mad- 
awaska settlement, on the Grande Riviere—a “ nar¬ 
row strip of a village,” inhabited wholly by French 
Canadians, a people with whom Mr. Head had every 
reason to be well pleased. Here he was agreeably sur¬ 
prised to find he was to be indulged with a bed; that, 
for the next stage (one and twenty miles,) the snow 
was sufficiently beaten to bear a horse and sleigh, and 
that one might be hired in the village. Still more was 
he surprised that, in his helpless condition, when he 
stood in such need of such a conveyance, there was no 
inclination in the owner to extort from him any thing 
beyond a reasonable price. Fifteen shillings was the 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 





A CARABOO DEER. 


sum which he agreed to pay ; for rather less distance, 
and in a better country, he had been cheated into the 
payment of four pounds at Annapolis. The snow was 
so deep, the roads “ so partially broken,” and the ve¬ 
hicle, though well contrived for such travelling, so 
rough that he would far rather have walked, had it not 
been for the sake of husbanding his little remaining 
strength. At the cost of some half-dozen overturns, 
however, he performed the stage, and was taken in at 
the house of an inhabitant, the auberge being full. A 
dozen persons joined company with the party here ; 
;ind on the morrow, with great satisfaction, he saw his 
snow-shoes fastened on the tobogin —the remainder of 


ADVENTURES OR CARTA IN READ. 


iA9 

the way was to be performed in mocassins: but the re¬ 
lief came late, for he was now so lame that he could 
not move a step without considerable suffering. Thus 
they left St. Johns, and pursued their course along the 
Madawaska river. It was a merry as well as a motley 
crew with which he found himself now associated, 
“ some at the end and some at the beginning, of their 
respective journies.” The former were hobbling and 
limping, weary and way-worn, with no spirits to expend 
in meriment; the latter smoked and hallooed, and 
whistled and sung, and pelted one another with snowballs. 
The guides had procured large dogs of the Newfound¬ 
land breed to draw the tobogins, and several of these 
great creatures were loose in their train. They roused 
a Caraboo deer on their way, gave chase, Mr. Head, 
forgetful of his lameness, joining with such ardour as 
to make a tolerable race, killed him, and supped that 
night upon one of his haunches. This was a stage of 
four and twenty miles—that of the next day was twen¬ 
ty-one ; and he was now so lame as to make it a serious 
undertaking. It lay partly on the river, but when the 
ice became unsafe, in the forest along its banks—lastly, 
over Lake Tamasquatha, against a strong wind, when 
it required his utmost exertions to keep within any rea¬ 
sonable distance of the guides. They followed one 
after another, never caring for those who were behind 
—the foremost almost out of sight, and appearing like 
little black dots on the w r ide waste of snow ahead. At 
length they reached a house at the extremity of the 
lake, on the banks of that portage (the word may be 
considered as Anglicized ,) which extends uninterrupt¬ 
edly from thence to the high road to Quebec. 

40 


470 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


No sooner had he arrived than he threw himself on 
the boards, thinking it would be impossible for him to 
proceed the next day. Nor was any refreshment from 
sleep to be expected: it was manifest that sleep would 
be murdered here. More travellers had already estab¬ 
lished themselves in these miserable quarters. There 
were six-and-thirty persons in the room, including the 
mistress of the house and her sister; these women 
slept in the same room on a truckled bed, (the decen¬ 
cies of life being disregarded in these frontiers of civ¬ 
ilization,) the rest lay on the ground, like so many pigs. 
Mr. Head’s next neighbour was a major in the army, 
whom he never saw before nor since, and who did 
nothing but groan all night. Travelling in that coun¬ 
try, like misfortune, brings a man acquainted with 
strange bedfellows ; they had for theirs, besides the 
travellers and the women, some eight of the great 
Newfoundland dogs, who ran about, trod upon them, 
growled, quarrelled, and were during the night en¬ 
gaged in battle royal; the whole room rising in arms 
to part them, by throttling them and biting the ends of 
their tails. 

“ The gabble of tongues,” says Mr. Head, “ the 
smell of tobacco smoke, and the disturbance altogether, 
was really dreadful. The women were not silent, 
and no matter who slept, some were sure to he awake 
and talking. I quite lost all my patience; sometimes 
I struck at the dogs as they galloped over me; and I 
shook one fellow by the collar till he roared, who, in 
the scuffle,'had trodden on my lame ancles without re¬ 
morse. The only satisfaction I had was to think that 


ADVENTURES OP CAPTAIN HEAD. 


471 


the pain I was in would alone, without the noise, have 
been sufficient to keep me from sleeping.” 

After another day’s long march they reached a rest¬ 
ing place, within nine miles of the end of the pedes¬ 
trian journey; but by this time his feet were swollen 
to a great size: the Canadians assured him that he 
had got the mal-a-raquette , and he lay awake all night, 
in the miserable loghouse, thinking how unlucky he 
was thus to be foot-foundered when so little a part of 
the way remained to be accomplished by walking. 
When morning came, however, he found himself better 
able to endure the pain of exertion, however great, than 
to remain patiently where he was. He relied on the 
assistance of his servant, who was still strong and 
able, and set out accordingly, though the trial was the 
severest which he had undergone, for the inflammation in 
his feet and ancles was so acute as exactly to resemble 
the pain of the gout; merely to set his feet to the 
ground was torture, and the slightest twist, when he 
trod in the holes made in the hard snow by the foot¬ 
steps of former travellers, increased it: sometimes he 
was obliged to lie down in the snow for relief, though 
the intense cold obliged him to rise almost immediately; 
but by the servant’s help, after eight hours of this exer¬ 
tion, he arrived at the village of Rivi&re de Loup, with 
a proper sense of thankfulness at having thus accom¬ 
plished what he had more than once despaired of. It 
was only six miles to Riviere de Cape, where there was 
a good inn, and a sleigh might be procured to take him 
there. Beset as he was with a pack of dirty com¬ 
panions, he ordered it to be got ready, and made a last 
effort to crawl into it, ready, he says, to endure any 


472 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES 


tning so he could but free himself from his present 
associates. On reaching the inn, he found a humane 
and attentive hostess, a good arm-chair, a comfortable 
meal, and other such indulgences as never before had 
oeen so seasonable and so welcome. It is remarkable 
that ease of mind brought with it immediate ease of 
body; though not at the end of his journey, he was at 
the end of all those difficulties which it required bodily 
exertions to cope with, and all pain left him that even¬ 
ing. He slept well, breakfasted well, and set off in 
buoyant spirits, in a post cariole (or small sleigh drawn 
by one horse), on a good and well-beaten road. Sixty 
miles he posted that day, and reached Listet half-frozen; 
the weather being intensely cold but clear, and the 
glories of the evening such, he says, as a winter 
sunset in Canada can alone produce. Fifty-one miles of 
the same sort of travelling brought him, on the following 
day, to Point Levi, an uncomfortable passage-house on 
the banks of the St. Lawrence, where the river is a 
mile and a half wide, and opposite to Quebec. 

In the morning, looking from his window on the 
river he saw it “ frozen on each bank at least three or 
four hundred yards from the shore, and the channel 
filled with pieces of ice • driven forward and backward 
by the eddies of an impetuous tide; these were rising 
one above another, twisting round and round, sinking, 
labouring, and heaving, by the action of a current run¬ 
ning at the rate of seven knots an hour. Sometimes 
there was a space of clear water, wherein enormous 
flakes, of a superficies of three or four thousand square 
yards, would glide by; huge lumps, as big as a stage 
coach and all its passengers, would roll over and ov*** 


OF CAPTAIN HEAD IN CANADA. 


473 


and tumble in various directions, now and then sinking 
altogether, and afterwards rising several yards a-head; 
large masses would meet, and drive against each other 
with a tremendous crash, piling flake upon flake, and 
presenting a most awful spectacle,—the more interesting, 
as it was my business to cross over that very day.” 

As the ice was expected every day to set, (the 
weather being more than ordinarily severe,) when it 
would be possible for sleighs to pass, a traveller, less 
impatient of delay than Mr. Head, would have waited 
where he was, unless his business had been more urgent. 
The passage he was told was difficult, but practicable, 
and with very little danger; and the time for attempt¬ 
ing it, at slack water. He engaged a log canoe, after 
a hard bargain, for thirty shillings; the canoe was 
nothing more than some fifteen feet of an entire tree, 
rounded at both ends alike, and hollowed by the adze. 
Six boatmen, each with an axe in his sash, and a pad¬ 
dle in his hand, dragged it from the shore, over the ice, 
to the edge of the water, chopping away the last six 
or eight feet of unsound ice with their axes, till the 
head of the canoe was brought close above the water. 
The tide was nearly at ebb, but the ice continually in 
violent motion, and the appearance very formidable. 
He and his man embarked as they were directed; sat 
down at the bottom of the canoe, in midships,, in readi¬ 
ness for a launch; a large flake floated by, leaving 
them a clear channel of about one hundred yards across : 
tenez ferme! cried the boatmen, pushed the canoe 
plump into the water, a fall of about two feet, and 
instantly they were all on board, each in his place, and 
paddling with might and main, to avoid a large piece 
40 * 


474 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES 


of ice then bearing down upon them, and to gain a 
frozen surface right a-head. Succeeding in this, out 
they jumped, dragged the canoe by a rope at her head 
out of the water, pushed her over this sheet of ice, 
some hundred and fifty yards,) then launched her a 
second time, but in this launch the passengers were 
splashed all over, and the water immediately froze on 
their clothes. 

“ But we had not time to shake ourselves, for a large 
quantity of loose ice, which appeared just to have risen 
up from the bottom of the river, was bearing down upon 
us in a very formidable manner. The men paddled, 
and strained, and abused each other, but all would not 
do, and we were in a very few seconds hemmed in and 
jammed on both sides by a soft pulpy mass, together 
with which we were helplessly carried away by the 
current sidewise from the point we were endeavouring 
to reach. I could not help admiring the determination 
and address of the men at this moment; for they 
jumped out, above their knees in water, sometimes up 
to their hips, while they used their utmost strength to 
drag the canoe forward by the rope. Although the 
surface gave way continually under their feet, letting 
them down upon the large slabs of ice which were 
floating underneath, they managed, by pulling and 
hauling, and with their axes occasionally cutting and 
reaking away the obstructing blocks which stood in 
their way, to get free of all impediments, and gain once 
more a channel of clear water. 

“While this was going forward, it was extremely 
annoying to be perfectly helpless in the midst of so 
much bustle and energy; and when the fellows shouted 

































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































-MI* _ 

. 































** 


































. 








OF CAPTAIN HEAD IN CANADA. 


477 


“ Brcinlez ! mere Dieu , branlez ! they meant that we 
should rock the canoe from side to side as we sat, to 
prevent her freezing on to the ice, which disaster was 
only to be avoided by keeping her in continual motion. 
If this had taken place, the consequences might have 
been serious, as the day was intensely cold, and we 
must have floated away, with no very great chance of 
assistance. However, by the skill of the men we 
avoided it, and the thirty shillings were certainly fairly 
earned, for they 'were three or four minutes at this spell 
in the water, sometimes up to their kneps, and now and 
then nearly up to their middle. It seems almost incre¬ 
dible that men should be able to work at all upon ice 
so unsound as not to afford a surface capable of sup¬ 
porting the weight of the body ; but on their part there 
seemed to be no sort of apprehension of absolute dagger, 
owing to the vast thickness of the floating substance, a 
comparatively small part of which was, as they knew, 
that which appeared above the water; and there was 
invariably a lower stratum, upon which they were re¬ 
ceived and supported as often as they sank in. 

“ Such was the manner of making the passage 
across the river St. Lawrence, at the season of the 
year and under such circumstances as it happened to 
me to undertake it; and I have only to add, that the 
time occupied in going across was somewhat more than 
an hour, and that the varieties already cited followed 
each other in rapid succession, till the moment of oui 
disembarkation at the opposite shore. At one time 
we were in clear water; the next moment struggling 
through congelated heaps of melted snow ; then rapidly 
driven along over sheets of ice, and pushed over ob 


4T8 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


structing blocks, which opposed our progress in ridges 
seven or eight feet high. The Canadians were, how¬ 
ever, indefatigable: every obstacle, so soon as encoun¬ 
tered, was surmounted in a moment. Hard ice was 
hewn down with the hatchets. They were active as 
ants: all was energy, spring, and bustle. They were 
in the canoe and out of the canoe, paddling and cutting, 
pushing with the boat-hook, and hauling on the rope, 
all with instantaneous impulse, and appliance of strength 
in different ways, and with the most effective success.” 

Well might he rejoice at finding himself, after such 
a passage, safely landed in Quebec, though so stiff 
with cold as scarcely to be able to move, and so in- 
crusted with ice as to be as much like an armadillo, he 
says, (if armadillos carried the os sublime , and the 
erectos ad sidera vultus ,) as a human being. The 
difficulties and miseries of his journey were now at an 
end. 







JUNG BAHAI) OOR, TOE NEPAULESE AMBASSADOR 














ADVENTURES OF AN ENGLISH TRAVELLER 
AT AN ELEPHANT HUNT IN NEPAUL. 

R. LAWRENCE OLIPHANT in 

his recent account* of his journey 
with the camp of the Nepaulese 
ambassador, Jung Bahadoor, who 
returned from England in 1850, 
gives the following very lively ac, 
count of an elephant hunt on a 
great scale near Hetowra, and not very far from Kat¬ 
mandu, the capital of Nepaul. The narrative presents 
many novel and highly interesting features. We quote 
his words: 

“ We found our camp prettily situated at the village 
of Hetowra, on the Rapti, surrounded by hills clothed 

* A journey to Katmandu (the capital of Nepaul) with the camp 
of Jung Bahadoor ; including a sketch of the Nepaulese ambassador 
at home. By Lawrence Oliphant. New York, D. Appleton & Co. 
1852 . 



41 


(4811 







482 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


to their summits with evergreen jungle not unlike those 
I had lately left in Ceylon. 

“ The Minister Sahib, having received information 
that a herd of wild elephants were in the neighbour¬ 
hood, paid us a visit immediately on our arrival at camp, 
m a great state of excitement, and enjoined upon us the 
necessity of an early start if w T e wished to partake of a 
sport which he promised would exceed any thing we had 
ever witnessed, and prove such as no European had 
ever before had an opportunity of joining in. 

“ I was aroused about 3 on the following morning, 
by the tune of the ‘ British Grenadiers,’ played by the 
bands of the two regiments, which marched past my 
tent on their way to beat the jungle, and I wondered 
whether its composer ever imagined that its inspiriting 
effects would be exercised upon men bound on so sin¬ 
gular a duty as those whose tramp we now heard 
becoming fainter and fainter as they w r ound up the 
valley. This was a signal for us to abandon our mat¬ 
tresses, which were always spread on the ground, in 
default of a four-poster, but were none the less comfort¬ 
able or fascinating to their drowsy occupants on that 
account. It was necessary to make such a morning’s 
meal as should be sufficient to last 24 hours. This was 
rather a difficult matter at that early hour, as we had 
eaten a large dinner over-night: however, we accom¬ 
plished it to the best of our power, and, jumping into 
our howdah, soon overtook Jung, whom we accompanied 
to what was to be the scene of action, a thick saul jun¬ 
gle on the banks of the Curroo Nuddee, here a consid¬ 
erable stream. 

“ Down a hill before us, and by a particular pass, the 


elephant hunting in nepaul. 488 

wild elephants were to be driven by the united efforts 
of the gallant rifle corps, a regiment of infantry, and a 
hundred elephants; while our party, which comprised 
an equal number of these animals, was prepared to 
receive their brethren of the woods. 

“ Our patience as sportsmen was destined to be 
severely tried, and mid-day came without any elephants 
having made their appearance: we therefore lit a huge 
fire, and, dismounting, partook with Jung of some very 
nice sweet biscuits and various specimens of native con¬ 
fectionery, declining the green looking mutton which 
was kindly pressed upon us. Had the elephants chosen 
that moment to come down upon us, a curious scene 
must have ensued: Jung’s grapes would have gone 
one way, and his curry-powder the other—he was 
sating grapes and curry-powder at the time; and his 
Slather, who was toasting a large piece of mutton on a 
re^d, must have either burnt his mouth or lost the pre¬ 
vious morsel: however, the elephants did not come, so 
Jui.g finished his grapes and curry-powder, and his 
nroiher waited till the mutton was cool, ate it in peace, 
ana went through the necessary ablutions. He then 
gave me a lesson in cutting down trees with a kukri, a 
»nnc of bill-hook, in the use of which the Nepaulese are 
peculiarly expert. The Minister Sahib at one stroke 
cut through a saul-tree which was 13 inches in circum¬ 
ference, while sundry unsuccessful attempts which 1 
made on very small branches created great amusement 
among the by-standers skilled in the use of the weapon. 

“ At last a dropping shot or two were heard in the 
distance : this was the signal of the approach of the 
herd, and I was put by the minister through the exer- 


484 


JPERiLOtTS ADVENtftJRES. 


cises necessary to be acquired before commencing the 
novel chace. 

‘ Taking off my shoes and tying a towel round my head, 
I was told to suppose an immense branch to be in front 
of me, and was taught to escape its sweeping effects by 
sliding down the crupper of the elephant, and keeping 
the whole of my body below the level of his back, thus 
allowing the branch to pass within an inch above with¬ 
out touching me. In the same manner, upon a branch 
threatening me from the right or left, it was necessary 
to throw myself on the opposite side, hanging only by 
my hands, and swinging myself into my original posi¬ 
tion by a most violent exertion, which required at the 
same time considerable knack. Having perfected my¬ 
self in these accomplishments to the utmost of my 
power, I awaited in patience the arrival of the ele¬ 
phants. 

“ Looking round, I saw Jung himself, seated in the 
place of the mahout, guiding the elephant which he 
bestrode very cleverly. When silence was required, 
he made a peculiar clucking noise with his tongue; 
whereupon these docile creatures immediately became 
still and motionless: one would drop the tuft of grass 
which he was tearing up, another would stop instantly 
from shaking the dust out of the roots which he was 
preparing to eat, others left off chewing their food. 
When a few seconds of the most perfect calm had 
elapsed, the rooting up and dusting out went on more 
briskly than ever, and the mouthful was doubly sweet 
to those who were now allowed to finish the noisy pro¬ 
cess of mastication. 




ELEPHANT HUNTING IN NEPAUL. 4S5 

“ At last our patience was rewarded, and Jung gave 
the signal for us to advance. 

“ On each elephant there were now two riders, the 
mahout and a man behind, who, armed with a piece of 
hard wood into which two or three spikes were inserted, 
hammered the animal about the root of the tail as with 
a mallet. He was furnished with a looped rope to hold 
on hj, and a sack stuffed with straw to sit upon, and 
was expected to belabour the elephant with one hand, 
while he kept himself on its back with the other. 

“ This was the position I filled on this trying occa¬ 
sion ; hut my elephant fared well as regards the instru¬ 
ment of torture, for I was much too fully occupied in 
taking care of myself to think of using it. Away we 
■went at full speed, jostling one another up banks and 
through streams, and I frequently was all but jolted 
off the diminutive sack which ought to have formed my 
seat, but did not, for I found it impossible to sit. 
Being quite unable to maintain my position for two 
moments together, I looked upon it as a miracle that 
every bone in my body was not broken. Sometimes I 
was suddenly jerked into a sitting posture, and not 
being able to get my heels from under me in time, they 
received a violent blow. A moment after I was thrown 
forward on my face, only righting myself in time to 
see a huge impending branch, which I had to escape 
by slipping rapidly down the crupper, taking all the 
skin off my toes in so doing, and, what would have 
been more serious, the branch nearly taking my head 
off if I did not stoop low enough. When I could look 
about me, the scene was most extraordinary and inde¬ 
scribable : a hundred elephants were tearing through 
41* 


486 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


the jungle as rapidly as their unwieldy forms would le« 
them, crushing down the heavy jungle in their headlong 
career, while their riders were gesticulating violently, 
each man punishing his elephant, or making a bolster 
of himself as he flung his body on one side or the other 
to avoid branches ; while some, Ducrow-like, and con¬ 
fident in their activity, were standing on the bare back 
of their elephants, holding only by the looped rope,— 
a feat I found easy enough in the open country, but 
fi arfully dangerous in the jungle. A few yards in 
front of us was a wild elephant with her young one. 
bo.h going away in fine style, the pace being 8 or 9 
miles an hour. I was just beginning to appreciate the 
sport, and was contemplating hammering my elephant 
so as to be up amongst the foremost, when we, in com 
pany with about half a dozen others, suddenly disap¬ 
peared from the scene. A nullah, or deep drain, Rid¬ 
den in the long grass, had engulfed elephants aunt 
riders. The suddenness of the shock unseated me, but 
fortunately I did not lose my hold of the rope, and 
more fortunately still my elephant did not roll over, 
but, balancing himself on his knees, with the assistance 
of his trunk, made a violent effort, and succeeded in 
getting out of his uncomfortable position. 

“ The main body of the chace had escaped this nttiVn 
by going round the top of it; but we were not so much 
thrown out as I expected, for we arrived in time to see 
the wild elephant charging and struggling in the midst 
of her pursuers, who, after several attempts, finally 
succeeded in noosing her, and dragging her away in 
triumph between two tame elephants, each attached 
to the wild one by a rope, and pulling different ways 


ELEPHANT HUNTING IN NEPAUL. 


487 


whenever she was inclined to be unmanageable. I was 
watching the struggles which the huge beast made, and 
wondering how the young one, who was generally 
almost under the mother, had escaped being crushed in 
the m§16e, when a perfect roll of small arms turned our 
attention to another quarter, and I saw an elephant 
with an imposing pair of tusks charging down upon us 
through a square of soldiers, which had just been bro¬ 
ken by it, and who were now taking to the trees in all 
directions. I ought to remark, lest the gallant rifle¬ 
men should be under the imputation of want of valour 
in this proceeding, that they were only allowed to fire 
blank cartridge. The elephant next to me stood the 
brunt of the charge, which was pretty severe, while 
mine created a diversion by butting him violently in 
the side, and, being armed with a formidable pair of 
tusks, made a considerable impression; the wild one 
w r as soon completely overpowered by numbers, after 
throwing up his trunk, and charging wildly in all direc¬ 
tions. Of the violence of one of these charges I have 
retained visible proof, for a splintered tusk, which had 
been broken short off in the combat, was afterwards 
picked up and given to me as a trophy. Having suc¬ 
ceeded in noosing this elephant also, we were dragging 
him away in the usual manner between two others, 
when he snapped one of the ropes and started off, pull¬ 
ing after him the elephant that still remained attached 
to him, and dashed through the jungle at full speed, 
notwithstanding the struggles of the involuntary com¬ 
panion of his flight. For a moment I feared that the 
courage of the mahout would give way in the pell-mell 
career, and that he would slip the rope which bound 




PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



A YOCWO ZLEPHA1IY. 


the two animals together. But he held on manfully 
and after another exciting chace we succeeded in sur 
rounding the maddened monster; my elephant jostled 
him so closely that I could touch him as we went neck 
and neck. It is a curious fact that the elephants 
never seem to think of uncurling their trunks, and 
sweeping their persecutors from the hacks of their tame 
brethren: this they have never been known to do, 
though it has not unfrequently occurred that a wild 
herd have proved more than a match for a tame one, 
and then there is nothing for it but to turn and make 
off in an ignominious retreat as fast as the blows of the 
mahouts can urge them. It is only under these circum 
stances that there is any danger to the riders, and such 
an occurrence can take place only when the tame herd 
is small, and encounters an unusually large number of 


ELEPHANT HUNTING IN NEPAUL. 


489 


the wild elephants. Upon this occasion we mustered 
so strong that defeat was out of the question. 

“ We now heard a terrific bellowing at a short dis¬ 
tance, which, in my ignorance, I thought proceeded 
from a huge tusker making a gallant resistance some 
where; I was rather disappointed therefore, to find 
that the object of interest to a large group of men and 
elephants was only a young one struggling on his back 
in a deep hole into which he had fallen, and from 
which he was totally unable to extricate himself. Lying 
on his back, and kicking his legs wildly about in the 
air, he looked the most ridiculous object imaginable, 
and certainly made more noise in proportion to his size 
than any baby *1 ever heard. So incessant was his 
roaring that we could scarcely hear each other speak; 
at last, by means of ropes attached to various parts of 
his body, and by dint of a great deal of pulling and 
hauling, we extricated the unfortunate infant from his 
awkward position. 

“ The poor little animal had not had a long life 
before experiencing its ups and downs, and it now 
looked excessively bewildered at not finding its mother, 
who had escaped with the rest of the herd. He was 
soon consoled, however, by being allotted to a tame 
aatron, who did not seem particularly pleased at 
being thus installed in the office of foster mother 
whether she liked it or not. 

» “We now all jogged home in great spirits, and, 
though Jung professed himself dissatisfied with only 
having captured four out of a herd of twelve, we were 
perfectly contented with a day’s work which my ele- 


490 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


phant-shooting experience in Ceylon had never seen 
equalled, and which so fully realized the promise made 
by the Minister at starting, that we should be the first 
to partake of a sport to be met with only in the noble 
orests of his native country. 











JAPANESE COSTUMES. 

ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN GOLOWNIN’S 
PARTY IN JAPAN. 

N April, 1811, captaiD 
Golownin, of the Rus¬ 
sian navy, was ordered 
by his government to sur 
vey the coast of Tatarv 
northward to Okotsk, and 
the Kurile Islands, the 
southernmost of which 
are in the possession of 
the Japanese. Having 









492 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


ventured on shore on one of these islands, he was taken 
prisoner with two of his officers, and four seamen, and 
sent to Matsmai. The immediate cause of this severe 
proceeding was not the jealous policy of the Japanese 
government, but the unprovoked outrages committed 
by a Russian captain, Avho a few years before bad 
attacked the Japanese villages on those islands. Gol- 
ownin observes, that during his journey southwards 
along the coast to Chacodade, a distance exceeding 50G 
miles, he beheld populous villages on every bay and 
creek. During the summer the people reside in leaf 
huts, built between these villages; the whole population 
is employed in catching, salting, and drying fish; they 
likswise gather a kind of sea weed, which grows in 
great abundance on the coast, and which the Russians 
call sea cabbage. This weed is spread upon the sands 
to dry, then collected into heaps resembling hay-cocks, 
and covered with matting, until the time arrives for 
loading the vessels which carry it to Niphon. The 
Kurile villages consist of small huts, without gardens 
or plantations, and have an appearance of extreme 
poverty; but the Japanese villages present a very 
different aspect. They are large; have regular streets : 
and the houses are very neatly constructed of wood. 
Every house has a garden, and many are furnished 
with orchards. The cleanliness which prevails in the 
treets and houses filled the Russians with astonishment. 
The inhabitants are extremely vivacious, and content¬ 
ment seems painted on every visage. 

The southern Kuriles appear to be a different race 
from those who inhabit the islands claimed by Russia. 
They are tall and strongly made, very active, and far 


ADVENTURES in japan. 


498 


more handsome than their northern neighbours, from 
whom they also differ totally in language. The Kurile 
islanders, like the Patagonians, have given rise to much 
contradiction and variety of opinion among travellers 
The gigantic stature of the latter, and hairiness of tlie 
former, have been asserted and denied in equally posi¬ 
tive terms. Captain Saris was informed in Jeddo, by 
a Japanese traveller, that the people of Yesso had their 
bodies covered with hair, like monkeys. Spanberg 
confirmed this story; and Broughton observes of these 
islanders, that “their bodies are almost universally 
covered with long black hair, and that even in children 
the same appearace is observablebut notwithstanding 
this weight of testimony, and the difficulty of proving 
a negative, Krusenstern ventures to assert that the 
hairiness of the Kuriles is an idle story; because, as 
far as his examination went, he found these islanders 
as smooth as Europeans. Yet Golownin, who had 
abundant opportunities of observing these people, fre¬ 
quently speaks of the hairy Kuriles as a separatd 
people. 

On approaching Chacodade, multitudes came out 
to meet the Russian captives, who were conducted 
to prison with a kind of processional pomp. “ Both 
sides of the road,” observes Golownin, “ were crowded 
with spectators, yet every one behaved with the 
utmost decorum. I particularly marked their coun 
tenances, and never once observed a malicious look, 
or any signs of hatred towards us; and none showed 
the least disposition to insult us by mockery and deri¬ 
sion.” 

The prisoners having little hopes of liberation, and 

42 


494 


PERILOUS DVENTU ES- 


prorapted by the glimpse of the sea which they caught 
from the windows of their pi ison at Matsmai, resolved 
to attempt an escape. Being conducted by their guards 
to exercise on the skirts of the city, they were enabled 
to take a view of the country, and to observe the paths 
which they might choose in their flight. In the night 
of the 23d of April, they broke an opening in the fence 
of their prison, through which they crept, and made 
their way through the trees to the nearest hill. The 
island of Matsmai is extremely mountainous and almost 
uninhabited in the interior. The Russians, who avoided 
the roads and wandered in the most unfrequented 
places, were extremely distressed from fatigue, owing 
to the ruggedness of the country, from exposure to the 
cold during the night, and from want of good -coci. 
Winter still reigned among the mountains, but Cue,} 
preferred the regions of forests and of snow the 
chance of falling again into the hands of the Japanese. 
Their intention was to descend to the sea shore during 
the night; and, seizing on some large boat, to put to 
sea, and trust themselves to fortune. But they were 
not unobserved. For two or three nights they visited 
the beach, but their strength was so much reduced that 
they were unable to launch the boats that were drawn 
up on the shore. They caused an alarm that proved 
fatal to their hopes; and, being surrounded in a thicket 
where they took shelter, were compelled to surrender 
to the Japanese soldiers. “ When we passed through 
the villages,” says Golownin, “ the inhabitants flocked 
from all sides to look at us; but to the honour of the 
Japanese it ought to be observed, that not one of them 
treated us with any thing like insult. They all seemed 



ADVENTURES IN JAPAN. 


495 


to commiserate us, and some of the women even shed 
tears while they presented us with something to eat or 
drink. Such was the expression of feeling among a 
people whom enlightened Europe has regarded as 
barbarians.” 

To prevent any further attempts at escape, the Rus¬ 
sians were now more rigorously confined. They were 
imprisoned in small cages, placed together in the same 
room, and nearly excluded from light. That in which 
Golownin was obliged to enter was six paces long, five 
broad, and about ten feet high. They were inspected 
by the guards every half hour, and awakened from 
their sleep to answer the call. This rigour, however, 
was of short continuance; the disposition of the Japa¬ 
nese seems to be as humane as their principles are 
severe. The governor of Matsmai represented the 
strangers favourably to the emperor; and this, united 
with the negotiations of Captain Rikord, who had cap¬ 
tured a wealthy Japanese by way of reprisal, had the 
effect of procuring their liberation, after a confinement 
of about two years. The kind-hearted Japanese 
evinced the sincerest joy at their release; ;ind in con¬ 
formity with the general wish of the inhabitants, the 
bunyo or governor of Matsmai ordered that prayers for 
the safe voyage of the Russians should be offered up in 
all the temples for the space of five days. 



LOSS OF THE BLENDENHALL. 

N the year 1821, the Blen 
denhall, free trader, bound 
from England for Bom¬ 
bay, partly laden with 
broad-cloths, was proceed¬ 
ing on her voyage with 
every prospect of a suc¬ 
cessful issue. While thus 
pursuing her way through 
the Atlantic, she was unfortunately driven from her 
course, by adverse winds and currents, more to the 
south T ard and westward than was required, and it be¬ 
came desirable to reach the island of Tristan d’Ac- 
unha, in order to ascertain and rectify the reckoning 



























- ~ ' -S-- 

5 * 3 ? *** / : 








LOSS OF THE BLENDENHALL. 


.499 


This island, which is called after the Portuguese admi¬ 
ral who first discovered it, is one of a group of three, 
the others being the Inaccessible and Nightingale 
Islands, situated many hundreds of miles from any 
land, and in a south-westerly direction from the Cape 
of Good Hope. The shores are rugged and precipitous 
in the extreme, and form, perhaps, the most dangerous 
coast upon which any vessel could be driven. 

It was while steering to reach this group of islands, 
that, one morning, a passenger on board the Blenden- 
hall, who chanced to be upon deck earlier than usual, 
observed great quantities of sea-weed occasionally float¬ 
ing alongside. This excited some alarm, and a man 
was immediately sent aloft to keep a good look-out.— 
The weather was then extremely hazy, though mode¬ 
rate ; the weeds continued ; all were on the alert; they 
shortened sail, and the boatswain piped for breakfast. 
In less than ten minutes, “ breakers ahead !” startled 
every soul, and in a moment all were on deck.— 
“ Breakers starboard ! breakers larboard ! breakers all 
around,” was the ominous cry a moment afterwards, 
and all was confusion. The words were scarcely ut¬ 
tered, when, and before the helm was up, the ill-fated 
ship struck, and after a few tremendous shocks against 
the sunken reef, she parted about mid-ship. Ropes and 
stays were cut away—all rushed forward, as if instinct¬ 
ively, and had barely reached the forecastle, when the 
stern and quarter-deck broke asunder with a violent 
crash, and sunk to rise no more. Two of the seamen 
miserably perished—the rest, including officers, passen¬ 
gers and crew, held on about the head and bows—the 
struggle was for life ! 


500 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


At this moment, the Inaccessible Island, which till 
then had been veiled in thick clouds and mist, appeared 
frowning above the haze. The wreck was more than 
two miles from the frightful shore. The base of the 
island was still buried in impenetrable gloom. In this 
perilous extremity, one was for cutting away the an¬ 
chor, which had been got up to the cat-head in time 
need; another was for cutting down the foremast < 4 he 
foretop-mast being already by the board.) The »og 
totally disappeared, and the black rocky island stood 
in all its rugged deformity before their eyes. Sud¬ 
denly the sun broke out in full splendour,’as if to ex¬ 
pose more clearly to the view of the sufferers their 
dreadful predicament. Despair was in every bosom— 
death, arrayed in all its terrors, seemed to hover over 
the wreck. But exertion was required, and every 
thing that human energy could devise was effected.— 
The wreck, on which all eagerly clung, was fortunately 
drifted by the tide and wind between ledges of sunken 
rocks and thundering breakers, until, after the lapse 
of several hours, it entered the only spot on the island 
where a landing was possibly practicable, for all the 
other parts of the coast consisted of perpendicular 
cliffs of granite, rising from amidst the deafening surf 
to the height of twenty, forty and sixty feet. As the 
shore was neared, a raft was prepared, and on this a 
few paddled for the cove. At last the wreck drove 
right in: ropes were instantly thrown out, and the crew 
and passengers, (except two who had been crushed in 
the wreck,) including three ladies and a female attend¬ 
ant, were snatched from the watery grave, which a few 
short hours before had appeared inevitable, and safely 


LOSS OF THE BLENDENHALL. 


501 


landed on the beach. Evening had now set in, and 
every effort was made to secure whatever could be 
saved from the wreck. Bales of cloth, cases of wine, 
a few boxes of cheese, some hams, the carcass of a 
milch cow that had been washed on shore, buckets, 
tubs, butts, a seaman’s chest, (containing a tinder-box 
and needles and thread,) with a number of elegant 
mahogany turned bed-posts, and part of an investment 
for the India market, were got on shore. The rain 
poured down in torrents—all hands were busily at 
work to procure shelter from the weather; and with 
the bed-posts and broad cloths, and part of the fore¬ 
sail, as many tents were soon pitched as there were 
individuals on the island. 

Drenched with the sea and with the rain, hungry, 
cold, and comfortless, thousands of miles from their 
native land, almost beyond expectation of human suc¬ 
cour, hope nearly annihilated,—the shipwrecked voy¬ 
agers retired to their tents. In the morning the wreck 
had gone to pieces; and planks and spars, and whatever 
had floated in, were eagerly dragged on shore. No 
sooner was the unfortunate ship broken up, than deem¬ 
ing themselves freed from the bonds of authority, many 
began to secure whatever came to land: and the cap¬ 
tain, officers, passengers, and crew, were now reduced 
to the same level, and obliged to take their turn to 
fetch water, and explore the island for food. The 
wo^k of exploring w*as soon over—there was not a 
bird, nor a quadruped, nor a single tree to be seen.— 
All was barren and desolate. The low parts were scat¬ 
tered over with stones and sand, and a few stunted 
weeds, rocks, ferns, and other plants. The top of the 


502 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


mountain was found to consist of a fragment of origi 
nal table land, very marshy, and full of deep sloughs, 
intersected with small rills of water, pure and pellucid 
as crystal, and a profusion of wild parsley and celery. 
The prospect was one dreary scene of destitution, 
without a single ray of hope to relieve the misery of 
the desponding crew. After some days, the dead cow, 
hams, and cheese, w T ere consumed; and from one end 
of the island to the other, not a morsel of food could 
be seen. Even the celery began to fail. A few bot¬ 
tles of wine, which, for security had been secreted 
under ground, only remained. Eamine now began to 
threaten. Every stone near the sea was examined for 
shell-fish, but in vain. 

In this dreadful extremity, and while the half-fam¬ 
ished seamen were at night squatting in sullen dejec¬ 
tion around their fires, a large lot of sea-birds, allured 
by the flames, rushed into the midst of them, and were 
greedily laid hold of as fast as they could be seized.— 
For several nights in succession, similar flocks came 
in ; and by multiplying their fires, a considerable sup¬ 
ply was secured. These visits, however, ceased at 
length, and the wretched party were exposed again to 
the most severe privation. When their stock of wild 
fowl had been exhausted for more than two days, each 
began to fear they were now approaching that sad 
point of necessity, when, between death and casting 
lots who should be sacrificed to serve for food for the 
rest, no alternative remained. While horror at the 
bare contemplation of an extremity so repulsive occu¬ 
pied the thoughts of all, the horizon was observed to 
De suddenly obscured, and presently clouds of penguin 


LOSS OF THE BLENDENHALL. 


503 


alighted on the island. The low grounds were actually 
covered; and before the evening was dark, the sand 
could not be seen for the number of eggs, which, 
like a sheet of snow, lay on the surface of the earth. 
The penguins continued on the island four or five days, 
when, as if by signal, the whole took their flight, and 
were never seen again. A few were killed, but the 
flesh was so extremely rank and nauseous that it could 
not be eaten. The eggs were collected and dressed in 
all manner of ways, and supplied abundance of food 
for upwards of three weeks. At the expiration of that 
period, famine once more seemed inevitable; the third 
morning began to dawn upon the unfortunate company 
after their stock of eggs were exhausted; they had now 
been without food for more than forty hours, and were 
fainting and dejected; when, as though this desolate 
rock were really a land of miracles, a man came run¬ 
ning up to the encampment with the unexpected and 
joyful tidings that “ millions of sea-cows had come on 
shore.” The crew climbed over the ledge of rocks that 
flanked their tents, and the sight of a shoal of mana¬ 
tees immediately beneath them gladdened their hearts. 
These came in with the flood, and were left in the pud¬ 
dles between the broken rocks of the cove. This sup¬ 
ply continued for two or three weeks. The flesh was mere 
blubber, and quite unfit for food, for not a man could 
retain it on his stomach; but the liver was excellent, 
and on this they subsisted. In the meantime, the car¬ 
penter with his gang had constructed a boat, and four 
of the men had adventured in her for Tristan d’Acun- 
ha, in hopes of ultimately extricating their fellow-suf¬ 
ferers from their perilous situation. Unfortunately 


504 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


the boat was lost—whether carried away by the vio 
lence of the currents that set in between the islands, 
or dashed to pieces against the breakers, was never 
known, for no vestige of the boat or crew was ever 
seen. Before the manatees, however, began to quit the 
shore, a second boat was launched; and in this an offi¬ 
cer and some seamen made a second attempt, and hap¬ 
pily succeeded in effecting a landing, after much labour, 
on the island, where they were received with much cor¬ 
diality and humanity by Governor Glass—a personage 
whom it will be necessary to describe. 

Tristan d’Acunha is believed to have been uninhabi¬ 
ted until 1811, when three Americans took up their resi¬ 
dence upon it, for the purpose of cultivating vegeta¬ 
bles, and selling the produce, particularly potatoes, to 
vessels which might touch there on their w r ay to India?, 
the Cape, or other parts in the southern ocean. These 
Americans remained its only inhabitants till 1816, 
when, on Bonaparte being sent to St. Helena, the 
British government deemed it expedient to garrison 
the island, and sent the Falmouth man-of-war with a 
colony of forty persons, which arrived in the month of 
August. At this time the chief of the American set¬ 
tlers was dead, and two only survived ; but what finally 
became of these we are not informed. The British 
garrison was soon given up, the colony abandoned, and 
all returned to the Cape of Good Hope, except a per¬ 
son named Glass, a Scotchman, who had been corporal 
of artillery, and his wife, a Cape creole. One or two 
other families afterwards joined them, and thus the 
foundation of a nation on a small scale was formed; 
Mr. Glass, with the title and character of governor 


LOSS OF THE BLENDENIIALL. 


505 


like a second Robinson Crusoe, being the undisputed 
chief and lawgiver of the whole. On being visited in 
1825, by Mr. Augustus Earle, the little colony was 
found to be on the increase, a considerable number of 
children having been born since the period of settle¬ 
ment. The different families inhabited a small village, 
consisting of cottages covered with thatch made of the 
long grass of the island, and exhibiting an air of com¬ 
fort, cleanliness, and plenty, truly English. 

It was to this island that the boat’s crew of the 
Blendenhall had bent their course, and its principal in¬ 
habitant, Governor Glass, showed them every mark of 
attention, not only on the score of humanity, but be¬ 
cause they were fellow subjects of the same power— 
for, be it known, Glass did not lay claim to indepen 
dent monarchy, but always prayed publicly for King 
George as his lawful sovereign. On learning the situ¬ 
ation of the crew, on Inaccessible Island, he instantly 
launched his boat, and unawed by considerations of 
personal danger, hastened, at the risk of his life, to de 
liver his shipwrecked countrymen from the calamities 
they had so long endured. He made repeated trips, 
surmounted all difficulties, and fortunately succeeded 
in safely landing them on his own island, after they 
had been exposed for nearly three months to the hor¬ 
rors of a situation almost unparalleled in the recorded 
sufferings of seafaring men. 

After being hospitably treated by Glass and his 
company for three months, the survivors obtained a 
passage to the Cape, all except a young sailor named 
White, who had formed an attachment to one of the 
servant girls on board, and who, in all the miseries 
43 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES, 


: os 

which had been endured, had been her constant protec 
tor and companion; whilst gratitude on her part pre¬ 
vented her wishing to leave him. Both chose to re¬ 
main, and were forthwith adopted as free citizens of 
he little community. 

















SPANISH GIPSIES GAMBLING. 






























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MR. RORROW’S ADVENTURES AMONG 
THE GIPSIES IN SPAIN. 



r it'* R. GEORGE BORROW’S 
A') two books the “ Gipsies of 
Spain” and “ The Bible in 
Spain” contain some very 
amusing accounts of his ad¬ 
ventures among the Gipsies of that 
country. His acquaintance with the 
regular language of these people and 
his intimate knowledge of their manners and costumes, 
always caused him to be received among them as a 
genuine gipsy. 

From his Bible in Spain we shall proceed to make 
some extracts which exhibit the manners of the gipsies 
and contain many singular revelations. It appears 
that stealing horses and donkeys and selling them 
forms a considerable part of the business of these law- 
ess robbers. 

Soon after passing the Spanish line Mr. Borrow fell 
nto company with a party of his old friends, the gip¬ 
sies. One of them, the Antonio familiar to the renders 
f his former work, offers to be his guide onward, and 
the ancient hankering for Rommani society is too 
strong for the temptation. The missionary accepts the 





510 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


offer; and we have him pursuing his way for more than 
a week, mounted on a spare pony (Egyptice gras), 
from the Gitano camp—lodging, whether in field, 
forest, village, town, or city, exactly where Antonio 
would naturally have lodged had there been no stranger 
with him. There can be no sort of doubt that through¬ 
out his travels Mr. Borrow had usually passed with 
gipsies for one in part at least of their own blood. It 
was so at Moscow—where the Prima Donna of the 
celebrated Singing Company w’as at once rea ly to 
hail him as a kinsman. It is so every where in Spain ; 
and most queer are some of the results to the supposed 
“ Caloro.” 

“ Towards evening we drew near to a large town or 
village. 4 That is Merida,’ said Antonio, 4 formerly 
a mighty city of the Corahai. We shall stay here to¬ 
night, and perhaps for a day or two, for I have some 
business of Egypt to transact in this place. Now, 
brother, step aside with the horse, and wait for me 
beneath yonder wall. I must go before and see in 
what condition matters stand.’ I dismounted, and sat 
down on a stone beneath the ruined w r all to which 
Antonio had motioned me: the sun went down, and 
the air was exceedingly keen: I drew close around me 
an old tattered gipsy cloak with wdiich my companion 
had provided me, and, being somewhat fatigued, fell into 
a doze which lasted for nearly an hour. 

44 Is your worship the London Caloro ?” said a strange 
voice close beside me. I started, and beheld the face 
of a woman peering under my hat. Notwithstanding 
the dusk, I could see that the features were hideously 
ugly and almost black: they belonged, in fact, to a 


ADVENTURES AMONG THE GIPSIES IN SPAIN. 511 


gipsy crone, at least seventy years of age, leaning upon 
a staff. “Is your worship the London Caloro?” 
repeated she. “I am he whom you seek,” said I; 
“where is Antonio?” “ Curelando, curelando, bari- 
bustres curelos terela said the crone: “ come with 
me, Caloro of my garlochin, come with me to my little 
ker; he will be there anon.” I followed the crone, 
who led the way into the town, which was ruinous and 
seemingly half deserted; we went up the street, from 
which she turned into a narrow and dark lane, and 
presently opened the gate of a large dilapidated house. 

“ Come in,” said she. “And the gras?” I demanded. 

“ Bring the gras in too, my cliabo, bring the gras in too; 
there is room for the gras in my little stable.” We 
entered a large court, across .which we proceeded till we 
came to a wide doorway. “ Go in, my child of Egypt,” 
said the hag; “ go in : that is my little stable.” “The 
place is as dark as pitch,” said I, “ and may be a well for 
what I know ; bring a light, or I will not enter.” “ Give 
me the solabarri (bridle),” said the hag, “ and I will lead 
your horse in, my chabo of Egypt; yes, and tether him^ 
to my little manger.” She led the horse through the 
doorway, and I heard her busy in the darkness; pre¬ 
sently the horse shook himself: “ Grasti terelamos ,” 
said the hag, who now made her appearance with the 
bridle in her hand; “the horse has shaken himself: 
he is not harmed by his day’s journey. Now let us go 
in, my Caloro, into my little room.” 

We entered the house and found ourselves in a vast 
room, which would have been quite dark but for a faint 

* “Doing business, doing business;—he has much business to do.’ 


512 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


glow which appeared at the farther end; it proceeded 
from a brasero, beside which were squatted two dusky 
figures. “ These are callees,” said the hag; “ one is 
my daughter, and the other is her chabi; sit down, my 
London Caloro, and let us hear you speak.” I looked 
about for a chair, but could see none: at a short dis¬ 
tance, however, I perceived the end of a broken pillar 
lying on the floor; this I rolled to the brasero and 
sat down upon it. “ This is a fine house, mother 
of the gipsies,” said I; “ rather cold and damp, though 
it appears large enough to be a barrack.” “ Plenty of 
houses in Merida, my London Caloro, some of them 
just as they were left by the Corahanoes. Ah! a fine 
people are the Corahanoes; I often wish myself in their 
cliim once more.” “ How is this, mother ?” said I; 
“ have you been in the land of the Moors ?” “ Twice 

have I been in their country, my Caloro—twice have I 
been in the land of the Corahai. The first time is 
more than fifty years ago: I was then with the Sese 
(Spaniards), for my husband was a soldier of the Crallis 
(King) of Spain, and Oran at that time belonged to 
Spain.” “ You were not then with the real Moors,” 
said I, “ but only with the Spaniards who occupied part 
of their country ?” “ I have been with the real Moors, 

my London Caloro. About forty years ago I was with 
my ro in Ceuta, for he was still a soldier of the king; 
and he said to me one day, ‘ I am tired of this place, 
where there is no bread and less water; I will escape 
and turn Corahano: this night I will kill my sergeant, 
and flee to the camp of the Moor.’ ‘Do so,’ said I, 
4 my chabo; and as soon as may be I will follow you 
and become a Corahani.’ That same night he killecj 


ADVENTURES AMONG THE GIPSIES IN SPAIN. 513 

his sergeant, who five years before had called him Calo 
and cursed him; then running to the wall he dropped 
from it, and, amidst many shots, he escaped to the 
land of the Corahai: as for myself, I remained in the 
presidio of Ceuta as a suttler, selling wine and repani 
to the hundunares. Two years passed by, and I 
neither saw nor heard from my ro. One day there 
came a strange man to my cachimani (wine-shop): he 
was dressed like a corahano, and yet he did not look 
like one; he looked more like a callardo (black), and 
yet he was not a callardo either, though he was almost 
black; and as I looked upon him I thought he looked 
something like the Errate (Gipsies); and he said to me, 
‘Zincali; chachipe!’ and then he whispered to mein 
queer language, which I could scarcely understand, 
‘Your ro is waiting; come with me, my little sister, 
and I will take you unto him.’ ‘Where is he?’ said 
I; and he pointed to the west, to the land of the 
Corahai, and said, ‘He is yonder away; come with 
me, little sister, the ro is waiting.’ For a moment I 
was afraid, but I bethought me of my husband, and I 
wished to be amongst the Corahai. The sentinel chal¬ 
lenged us at the gate, but I gave him repani, and he 
let us pass. About a league from the town, beneath a 
cerro (hill), we found four men and women, all very 
black like the strange man, and they all saluted me and 
called me little sister, and they gave me other clothes, 
and I looked like a Corahani, and away we marched 
for many days amidst deserts and small villages, and 
more than once it seemed to me that I was amongst 
the Errate, for their ways were the same: the men 
would hokkawar (cheat) with mules and asses, and the 


5t4 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


women told baji; and after many days we came before 
a large town, and the black man said, 4 Go in there, 
little sister, and there you will find your roand I 
went to the gate, and an armed Corahano stood within 
the gate, and I looked in his face, and lo! it was 
my ro. 

44 Well, brother, to be short, my ro was killed in the 
wars, before a town to which the king of Corahani laid 
siege, and I became a piuli (widow), and I returned to 
the village of the renegades, as it was called, and sup¬ 
ported myself as well as I could ; and one day, as I was 
sitting weeping, the black man, whom I had never seen 
since the day he brought me to my ro, again stood 
before me, and said, 4 Come with me, little sister, come 
with me; the ro is at handand I went with him, 
and beyond the gate in the desert was the same party 
of black men and women which I had seen before. 

4 Where is my ro V said I. 4 Here he is, little sister,’ 
said the black man, 4 here he is; from this day I am 
the ro, and you the romi; come, let us go, for there is 
business to be done.’ And I went with him, and he 
was my ro; and we lived amongst the deserts, and 
hokkawar’d and choried and told baji; and I said to 
myself, 4 This is good: sure I am amongst the Errate, in 
a better chim than my own.’ And I had three chai 
by the black man; two of them died, but the youngest, 
who is the Calli who sits by the brasero, was spared: 
it came to pass that once in the winter-time our com¬ 
pany attempted to pass a wide and deep river, and the 
boat overset, and all our people were drowned, all but 
myself and my chabi, whom I bore in my bosom. I 
had now no friends amongst the Corahai, and I wan* 


ADVENTURES among THE GIPSIES IN SPAIN. 515 

dered about the despoblados, howling and lamenting 
till 1 became half lili (mad), and in this manner I found 
my way to the coast, where I made friends with the 
captain of a ship, and returned to this land of Spain. 
And now I am here, I often wish myself back again 
amongst the Corahai.” 

Our “ London Caloro” is now, we understand, a mar¬ 
ried man: but in 1835 he was open to a tender dispo¬ 
sition. 

In the afternoon I was seated with the gipsy mother 
in the hall; the two Callees were absent telling for¬ 
tunes. “Are you married, my London Caloro?” said 
the old woman to me. “ Are you a ro ?” 

Myself .—Wherefore do you ask, 0 Dai de los 
Cales ? 

Gipsy Mother .—It is high time that the lacha of 
the chabi were taken from her, and that she had a ro. 
You can do no better than take her for romi, my 
London Caloro. 

Myself .—I am a stranger in this land, 0 mother of 
the gipsies, and scarcely know how to provide for 
myself, much less for a romi. 

Gipsy Mother .—She wants no one to provide for 
her, my London Caloro; she can at any time provide 
for herself and her ro. She can hokkawar, tell baji, 
and there are few to equal her at stealing & pastesas. 
Were she at Madrilati, she would make much treasure; 
in this foros she is nalii (lost), for there is nothing to 
be gained; but in the foros baro it would be another 
matter; she would go dressed in lachipi and sonacai 
(silk and gold), whilst you would ride about on your 
black-tailed gra; and when you had got much treasure, 



516 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


you might return hither and live like a Crallis, and all 
the Errate of the Chim del Manro should bow down 
their heads to you. What say you, my London 
Caloro ? 

Myself .—Your plan is a plausible one, mother; but 
I am, as you are aware, of another chim, and have no 
inclination to pass my life in this country. 

Gripsy Mother .—Then return to your own country, 
my Caloro; the chabi can cross the pani. Would she 
not do business in London with the rest of the Caloro ? 
Or why not go to the land of the Corahai ? 

Myself .—And what shall we do in the land of the 
Corahai ? It is a poor and wild country, I believe. 

Gripsy Mother. —Aromali! I almost think that I 
am speaking to a lilipendi (simpleton). Are there not 
horses to chore ? Yes, I trow, better ones than in this 
land, and asses and mules. In the land of the Corahai 
you must hokkawar and chore even as you must here, 
or in your own country, or else you are no Caloro. 
Can you not join yourselves with the black people who 
live in the despoblados ? Yes, surely; and glad they 
would be to have among them the Errate from Spain 
and London. I am seventy years of age, but I wish 
not to die in this chim, but yonder, far away, where 
both my roms are sleeping. Take the chabi, therefore, 
and go to Madrilati to win the parne, and, when you 
have got it, return, and we will give a banquet to all 
the Busne (Christians) in Merida, and in their food I 
will mix drow, and they shall eat and burst like 

poisoned sheep.And when they 

have eaten we will leave them, and away to the land 
of the Moor. 


ADVENTURES among THE GIPSIES tN SPAIN. 517 

Mr. Borrow, we suppose, had nothing for it but to 
hint that he was engaged to be the Ro of some Chabi 
imong the East-Anglian Errate. He passes over his 
method of escape, however, with a lyrical obscurity; 
and we soon find him in the open country again with 
his elegant companion Antonio. To be sure, the 
learned and devout agent of the Bible Society seems a 
little out of his place in some of the subsequent scenes 
of this journey. For example:— 

We dismounted, and entered what I now saw was a 
forest, leading the animals cautiously amongst the 
trees and brushwood. In about five minutes we 
reached a small open space, at the farther side of 
which, at the foot of a large cork-tree, a fire was burn¬ 
ing, and by it stood or sat two or three figures; one 
of them now exclaimed “ Quien vive ?” “ I know that 
voice,” said Antonio, and rapidly advanced: presently 
I heard an Ola! and a laugh. On reaching the fire, I 
found two dark lads, and a still darker woman of about 
forty; the latter seated on what appeared to be horse 
or mule furniture. I likewise saw a horse and two 
donkeys tethered to the neighboring trees. It was in 
fact a gipsy bivouac. “ Come forward, brother, and 
show yourself,” said Antonio; “you are amongst 
friends; these are the very people whom I expected to 
find at Trujillo, and in whose house we should have 
slept.” “And what,” said I, “could have induced 
them to leave their house and come into this dark for¬ 
est, in the midst of wind and rain, to pass the night ?” 
“ They come on business of Egypt, brother, doubt¬ 
less,” replied Antonio; “ Calla boca !” “My ro is 
prisoner at the village yonder,” said the woman; “he 
49 


518 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


is prisoner for choring* a rnailla (donkey)-, we are 
come to see what can be done in his behalf; and where 
can we lodge better than in this forest, where there is 
nothing to pay?” One of the striplings now gave us 
barley for our animals in a large bag, into which we 
uceessively introduced their heads, allowing the fam¬ 
ished creatures to regale themselves till we conceived x 
they had satisfied their hunger. There was a puchero 
simmering at the fire, half full of bacon, garbanzos, 
and other provisions; this was emptied into a large 
wooden platter, and out of this AntQnio and myself 
supped, the other gipsies refused to join us, giving us 
to understand that they had eaten before our arrival; 
they all, however, did justice to the leathern bottle of 

Antonio. 

The sun was just appearing as I awoke. I made 
several efforts before I could rise from the ground; my 
limbs were quite stiff, and my hair was covered with 
rime; for the rain had ceased, and a rather severe frost 
set in. I looked around me, but could see neither An¬ 
tonio nor the gipsies; the animals of the latter had 
likewise disappeared, so had the horse which I had 
hitherto rode; the mule, however, of Antonio still re¬ 
mained fastened to the tree; this latter circumstance 
quieted some apprehensions which were beginning to 
arise in my mind. “ They are gone on some business 
of Egypt,” I said to myself, “ and will return anon.” 

I gathered together the embers of the fire, and, heap¬ 
ing upon them sticks and branches, soon succeeded in 
calling forth a blaze, beside which I again placed the 
puchero, with what remained of the provision of last 
* Stealing. 








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ADVENTURES AMONG THE GIPSIES IN SPAIN. 521 

night. I waited for a considerable time in expectation 
of the return of my companions, but, as they did not 
appear, I sat down and breakfasted. Before I had well 
finished I heard the noise of a horse approaching rap¬ 
idly, and presently Antonio made his appearance 
amongst the trees, with some agitation in his counte¬ 
nance. He sprang from the horse, and instantly pro¬ 
ceeded to untie the mule. “ Mount, brother, mount!” 
said he, pointing to the horse; “ I went with the Callee 
and her chabds to the village where the ro is in trouble ; 
the chinobaro, however, seized them at once with their 
cattle, and would have laid hands also on me, but I set 
spurs to the grasti, gave him the bridle, and was soon 
far away. Mount, brother, mount, or we shall have 
the whole rustic canaille upon us in a twinkling.” 

By-and-by they came in sight of Jaraicejo: but the 
missionary’s friend declines to enter the town in com¬ 
pany. 

“ Brother, we. had best pass through that town 
singly. I will go in advance; follow slowly, and when 
there purchase bread and barley ; you have nothing to 
fear. I will await you on the despoblado.” Without 
waiting for my answer he hastened forward, and was 
speedily out of sight. I followed slowly behind, and 
entered the gate of the town, an old dilapidated place, 
consisting of little more than one street. Along this 
street I was advancing, when a man with a dirty for 
aging cap on his head, and holding a gun in his hand, 
came running up to me: “ Who are you?” said he, in 
rather rough accents ; “ from whence do you come ?” 
“From Badajoz and Trujillo,” I replied; “why do 
you ask?” “I am one of the national guard,” said 



m 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


the man, “ and am placed here to inspect strangers.— 
I am told that a gipsy fellow just now rode through 
the town; it is well for him that I had stepped into my 
house. Do you come in his company?” “ Do I look 
like a person,” said I, “ likely to keep company with 
gipsies ?” 

The national measured me from top to toe, and 
then looked me full in the face with an expression 
which seemed to say, “ Likely enough.” In fact, my 
appearance was by no means calculated to prepossess 
people' in my favour. Upon my head I wore an old 
Andalusian hat, which, from its condition, appeared to 
have been trodden under foot; a rusty cloak, which 
had perhaps served half a dozen generations, en¬ 
wrapped my body. My nether garments were by n< 
means of the finest description, and as far as could bt 
seen were covered with mud, with which my face was 
likewise plentifully bespattered; and upon my chin was 
a beard of a week’s growth. 

“ Have you a passport?” at length demanded the 
national. I remembered having read that the best 
way to win a Spaniard’s heart is to treat him with cere¬ 
monious civility. I therefore dismounted, and, taking 
off my hat, made a low bow to the constitutional sol¬ 
dier, saying, “ Senor nacional, you must know that I 
am a* English gentleman, travelling in this country for 
ny pleasure. I bear a passport, which, on inspecting, 
you will find perfectly regular : it was given me by 
the great Lord Palmerston, minister of England, whom 
you of course have heard of here; at the bottom you 
will see his own handwriting; look at it and rejoice; 
perhaps you will never have another opportunity. As 


ADVENTURES AMONG THE GlESIES IN SPAIN. 528 

I put unbounded confidence in the honour of every 
gentleman, I leave the passport in your hands whilst I 
repair to the posada to refresh myself. When you 
have inspected it, you will perhaps oblige me so far as 
to bring it to me. Cavalier, I kiss your hands.” I 
then made him another low bow, which he returned 
with one still lower, and, leaving him now staring at 
the passport and now at myself, I went into a posada, 
to which I was directed by a beggar whom I met. 

I fed the horse, and procured some bread and bar¬ 
ley, as the gipsy had directed me; I likewise purchased 
three fine partridges of a fowler, who was drinking 
wine in the posada. He was satisfied with the price I 
gave him, and offered to treat me with a copita, to 
which I made no objection. As we sat discoursing at 
the table, the national entered with the passport in his 
hand, and sat down by us. 

National. —Caballero! I return you your passport; 
it is quite in form : I rejoice to have made your acquain¬ 
tance; no doubt you can give me some information re¬ 
specting the war. 

Myself. —I shall be very happy to afford so polite 
and honourable a gentleman any information in my. 
power. 

National. —What is England doing ? If she 
pleased, she could put down the war in three months. 

Myself.—No tenga usted cuidao , Senor nacional.— 
You have heard of the legion which my Lord Palmer¬ 
ston has sent over ? Leave the matter in their hands. 

National. —It appears to me that this Caballero 
Balmerson must be a very honest man. 

Myself. —There can be no doubt of it. 


524 


UElttLOUS At)VENTURES! 


National. —I have heard that he was a great 
general. 

Myself. —In some things neither Napoleon nor the 
sawyer* would stand a chance with him. Ns mucho 
hombre. 

National. —I am glad to hear it. Does he inten 
to head the legion ? 

Myself. —I believe not; but he has sent over, to 
head the fighting men, a friend of his, who is thought 
to be nearly as much versed in military matters as 
himself. 

National. — Io me alegro mucho. I see that the 
war will soon be over. Caballero, I thank you for 
your politeness, and for the information which you 
have afforded me. The despoblado, out yonder, has a 
particularly evil name; be on your guard, Caballero. I 
am sorry that gipsy was permitted to pass; should you 
meet him and not like his looks, shoot him at once, 
stab him, or ride him down. He is a well-known thief, 
contrabandista, and murderer, and has committed more 
assassinations than he has fingers on his hands. Stay; 
before I go I should wish to see once more the signa¬ 
ture of the Caballero Balmerson. 

I showed him the signature, which he looked upon 
with profound reverence, uncovering his head for a 
moment; we then embraced and parted. 

I mounted the horse and rode from the town, at first 
proceeding very slowly; I had no sooner, however, 
reached the moor than I put the animal to his speedy 

* “El Serrador, a Carlist partisan, about this time much talked 
of.” 


ADVENTURES AMONG THE GIPSIES IN SPAIN. 525 

trot, and proceeded at a tremendous rate for some 
time, expecting every moment to overtake the gipsy. I, 
however, saw nothing of him, nor did I meet with a 
single human being. The road along which I sped was 
narrow and sandy, winding amidst thickets of broom 
and brushwood, with which the despoblado was over¬ 
grown, and which in some places were as high as a 
man’s head. Across the moor, in the direction in 
which I was proceeding, rose a lofty eminence, naked 
and bare. The moor extended for at least three 
leagues; I had nearly crossed it, and reached the foot 
of the ascent. I was becoming very uneasy, conceiv¬ 
ing I might have passed the gipsy amongst the thick¬ 
ets, when I suddenly heard his well-known O-la! and 
his black savage head and staring eyes suddenly ap¬ 
peared from amidst a clump of broom. “ You have 
tarried long, brother,” said he; “I almost thought you 
had played me false.” 

Antonio found presently that he had no chance of 
escape except in quieting the high road altogether. 
Our living Polyglott therefore proceeds in solitary 
state. But near Talavera he is overtaken by another 
horseman, a grave, well-clad man of middle age, with 
whom he jogs on for a few minutes. The stranger 
speaks good Castilian; hut in a moment of excitement 
an exclamation escapes him which betrays the Mo- 
resco.* Mr. Borrow caps him in Arabic. 

The man walked on about ten paces, in the same 
manner as he had previously done; all of a sudden he 

* It appears by this account that some of the Spanish clergy 
are Mahometans. 


526 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


turned, and, taking the bridle of the hurra gently in 
his hand, stopped her. I had now a full view of his 
face and figure, and those huge features and Herculean 
form still occasionally revisit me in my dreams. I see 
him standing in the moonshine, staring me in the face 
with his deep calm eyes. At last he said,— 

“Ms usted tambien de nosotros .” 

Mr. Borrow could scarcely answer before the man 
signified that he knew him to be English. They ex¬ 
plain to their mutual satisfaction. 

It was late at night w T hen we arrived at Talavera. 
We went to a large gloomy house, which my compan¬ 
ion informed me was the principal posada of the town. 
We entered the kitchen, at the extremity of which a 
large fire was blazing. “ Pepita,” said my companion 
to a handsome girl, w T ho advanced smiling towards us; 
“ a brasero and a private apartment: this cavalier is a 
friend of mine, and we shall sup together.” We 
were shown to an apartment in which were tw T o al¬ 
coves containing beds. After supper, which consisted 
of the very best, by the order of my companion, we sat 
over the brasero and commenced talking. 

Myself .—Of course you have conversed with Eng¬ 
lishmen before, else you could not have recognised me 
by the tone of my voice. 

Abarbenel .—I was a young lad when the war of 
independence broke out, and there came to the village 
in which our family lived an English officer in order to 
teach discipline to the new levies. He was quartered 
in my father’s house, where he conceived a great affec¬ 
tion for me. On his departure, with the consent of my 
father, I attended him through both the Castiles, partly 


ADVENTURES AMONG THE GIPSIES IN SPAIN. 527 

as companion, partly as domestic. I was with him 
nearly a year, when he was suddenly summoned to 
return to his own country. He would fain have taken 
me with him, but to that my father would by no means 
consent. It is now five-and-and-twenty years since I 
last saw an Englishman; but you have seen how I 
recognised you even in the dark night. 

Myself .—And what kind of life do you pursue, and 
by what means do you obtain support ? 

Abarbenel .—I experience no difficulty. I live much 
in the same way as I believe my forefathers lived; cer¬ 
tainly as my father did, for his course has been mine. 
At his death I took possession of the herencia, for I 
was his only child. It was not requisite that I should 
follow any business, for my wealth was great; yet, to 
avoid remark, I have occasionally dealt in wool; but 
lazily, lazily—as I had no stimulus for exertion. I 
was, however, successful in many instances, strangely 
so; much more than many others who toiled day and 
night, and whose soul was in the trade. 

Myself .—Have you any children ? Are you mar¬ 
ried ? 

Abarbenel .—I have no children, though I am mar¬ 
ried. I have a wife and an amiga, or I should rather 
say two wives, for I am wedded to both. I however 
call one my amiga, for appearance sake, for I wish to 
live in quiet, and am unwilling to offend the prejudices 
of the surrounding people. 

Myself .—You say you are wealthy. In what does 
your wealth consist ? 

Abarbenel .—In gold and silver, and stones of pv^o, 
for I have inherited all the hoards of my forefathers 


528 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


The greater part is buried underground; indeed, I have 
never examined the tenth part of it. I have coins of 
silver and gold older than the times of Ferdinand the 
Accursed and Jezebel; I have also large sums employed 
in usury. We keep ourselves close, however, and pre¬ 
tend to be poor, miserably so; but on certain occasions, 
at our festivals, when our gates are barred, and our 
savage dogs are let loose in the court, we eat our food 
off services such as the Queen of Spain cannot boast 
of, and wash our feet in ewers of silver, fashioned and 
wrought before the Americas were discovered, though 
our garments are at all times coarse, and our food for 
the most part of the plainest description. 

Myself .—Are there more of you than yourself and 
your two wives ? 

Abarbenel .—There are my tw r o servants, who are 
likewise of us; the is a youth, and is about to 
leave, being betrothed to one at some distance; the 
other is old: he is now upon the road, following me 
with a mule and car. 

Myself .—And whither are you bound at present? 

Abarbenel .—To Toledo, where I ply my trade occa¬ 
sionally. I love to wander about, though I seldom 
stray far from home. Since I left the Englishman my 
feet have never once stepped beyond the bounds of New 
Castile. I love to visit Toledo, and to think of the 
times which have long since departed; I should esta¬ 
blish myself there, were there not so many accursed 
ones, who look upon me with an evil eye. 

Myself .—Are you known for what you are? Do the 
authorities molest you? 

Abarbenel .—People of course suspect me to be what 


ADVENTURES AMONG THE GIPSIES IN SPAIN. 529 

I am ; but as I conform outwardly in most respects to 
their ways, they do not interfere with me. True it is 
that sometimes when I enter the church to hear the 
mass, they glare at me, over the left shoulder, as much 
as to say—“What do you here?” And sometimes 
they cross themselves as I pass by; but as they go no 
further, I do not trouble myself on that account. With 
respect to the authorities, they are not bad friends of 
mine. Many of the higher class have borrowed money 
from me on usury, so that I have them to a certain ex¬ 
tent in my power; and as for the low alguazils and 
corchetes, they would do any thing to oblige me in con¬ 
sideration of a few dollars which I occasionally give 
them, so that matters upon the whole go on remark¬ 
ably well. Of old, indeed, it was far otherwise; yet, 
I know not how it was, though other families suffered 
much, ours always enjoyed a tolerable share of tran¬ 
quillity. The truth is, that our family has always 
known how to guide itself wonderfully. I may say 
there is much of the wisdom of the snake amongst us. 
We have always possessed friends, and with respect to 
enemies, it is by no means safe to meddle with us; for 
it is a rule of our house, never to forgive an injury, 
and to spare neither trouble nor expense in bringing 
uin and destruction upon the heads of our evil doers. 

Myself .—Do the priests interfere with you ? 

Abarbenel .—They let me alone, especially in oui 
own neighbourhood. Shortly after the death of my 
father, one hot-headed individual endeavoured to do me 
an evil turn, but I soon requited him, causing him to 
be imprisoned on a charge of blasphemy, and in prison 
he remained a long time, till he went mad and died ? 


530 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


Myself .—Have you a head in "Spain, in whom ia 
vested the chief authority ? 

Abarbenel .—Not exactly. There are, however, cer¬ 
tain holy familes who enjoy much consideration; my 
own is one of these—the chiefest, I rn^-y say. My 
grandsire was a particularly holy man ; and I have 
heard my father say that one night an archbishop came 
to his house secretly, merely to have the satisfaction 
of kissing his head. 

Myself .—How can that be? What reverence could 
an archbishop entertain for one like yourself or grand¬ 
sire ? 

Abarbenel .—More than you imagine. He was one 
of us, at least his father was, and he could never forget 
what he had learned with reverence in his infancy. 
He said he had tried to forget it, but he could not; that 
the ruah was continually upon him, and that even from 
his childhood he had borne its terrors with a troubled 
mind, till at last he could bear himself no longer; so 
he went to my grandsire, with whom he remained one 
whole night; he then returned to his diocese, where he 
shortly afterwards died, in much renown for sanctity. 

Myself .—What you say surprises me. Have you 
reason to suppose that many of you are to be found 
amongst the priesthood ? 

Abarbenel .—Not to suppose, but to know it. There 
re many such as I amongst the priesthood, and not 
amongst the inferior priesthood either; some of the most 
learned and famed of them in Spain have been of us, 
or of our blood at least, and many of them at this day 
think as I do. There is one particular festival of the 
year at which four dignified ecclesiastics are sure to v \sit 


ADVENTURES AMONG THE GIPSIES IN SPAIN. 531 

me ; and then, when all is made close and secure, and 
the fitting ceremonies have been gone through, they sit 
down upon the floor and curse. 

Myself .—Are you numerous in the large towns ? 

Abarbenel .—By no means; our places of abode are 
seldom the large towns; we prefer the villages, and 
rarely enter the large towns but on business. Indeed, 
we are not a numerous people, and there are few pro¬ 
vinces of Spain which contain more than twenty fami¬ 
lies. None of us are poor, and those among us who 
serve do so more from choice than necessity, for by 
serving each other we acquire different trades. Not 
unfrequently the time of service is that of courtship 
also, and the servants eventually marry the daughters 
of the house. 

We continued in discourse the greater part of the 
night; the next morning I prepared to depart. My 
companion, however, advised me to remain where I was 
for that day. “ And if you respect my counsel,” said 
he, “you will not proceed farther in this manner. To¬ 
night the diligence will arrive from Estremadura, on its 
way to Madrid. Deposit yourself therein: it is the 
safest and most speedy mode of travelling. As for 
your Caballeria, I will myself purchase her.” 

Mr. Bor ow followed the sensible advice that con¬ 
cludes this very extraordinary conversation. On reach¬ 
ing Madrid, (February, 1836) he take? lodgings in the 
house of a fat old woman from Valladolid, whose son, a 
tailor, is one of the most profligate little fellows wear¬ 
ing the uniform of the national guard. 



NAPOLEON AT THE GREAT ST. BERNARD. 


EXCURSION TO THE GREAT ST. BERNARD, 
BY AN ENGLISH LADY. 

HILE visiting Switzerland in the 
summer of 1850, we were able 
to realise the long-anticipated 
pleasure of visiting the renowned 
Hospice on the top of the Great 
St. Bernard—an Alpine height 
where one may he said to look into the north of Eu¬ 
rope on the one side, and the south, with its sunnj 
skies, on the other. It was about six o’clock in a 
very delightful morning when we started from Mar 
tigny to go upon this interesting excursion. 

But whilst we have been feasting our eyes with the 
scenery, our civil landlord of La Poste, and his most 
perfect waiter, have been waiting to hand us into the 
curtained char-a-banc which is to convey us to Liddes 
after which mountain hamlet, the road becomes in) 








EXCURSION TO THE GREAT ST. BERNARD. 533 

practicable for carriages, and we are to mount our 
mules. 

Our road was any thing but solitary, for both yester¬ 
day and to-day are kept as annual fetes by the people; 
and three hundred peasants who had been to offer their 
devotions at the shrine of the Hospice of the Great St. 
Bernard, and had slept at the convent the previous 
night, were now returning to their homes. 

On arriving at Liddes in the little inn, we were 
ushered into a small room, already occupied by a 
numerous French family, returning from a mountain 
excursion, and by two parties of Italians. We were, 
however, accommodated with a table in the corner, and 
soon supplied with delicious venison, milk, bread, and 
a bottle of vin d’Asti, which one bottle was equal to 
any St. Perry. We never afterwards had the same 
good fortune when we called for similar wine. We 
were very hungry, and did ample justice to our excel¬ 
lent fare. The little room was very close from being 
so overcrowded, so that we did not at all regret the 
departure of the guests, who, with the exception of two 
Italians, speedily bowed themselves out of our presence. 
Edward, not having been lately much of a pedestrian, 
doubted his powers to keep up with my mule and 
guide, and it was therefore agreed that he should pre¬ 
cede us at his own leisurely pace; so with his good 
oaken staff he also departed. 

I felt not the least uneasy in being thus left to the 
care of my guide, and had never even given a thought 
to the two Italians, who remained with me in the 
salon. Seated on a sofa, I studied, what my unfailing 
companion, “ Murray’s Hand Book,” had to say about 
45 * 



534 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


our route ; and occasionally I glanced anxiously at the 
clouds that began to scud across the sky more quickly 
than I liked. Soon, however, the loud, noisy alter¬ 
cation of my companions, drew my attention more to 
them. One was a fine, tall, athletic man, with a face 
as dark as a European’s could well be ; his hair and 
moustache, brows and eyelashes, perfectly black. The 
other was deformed, and had besides a club foot, too 
plainly made manifest by his pacing in an irritable 
manner up and down the room. He bit his nails to a 
painful extent. Both appeared completely to have for¬ 
gotten my presence, until the entrance of the land¬ 
lady, who, by their orders, brought them some brandy 
and water, and who looked very hard at me, as if she 
expected that I would address her. But as I had 
nothing to say, she slowly retired. This slight action, 
however, seemed to remind the two Italians that they 
were not alone. The club footed man stopped ab¬ 
ruptly in his deck-like pacings exactly opposite me, 
making some observations which I did not understand; 
but to which, when he repeated them in French, I of 
course replied. 

His companion walked to the window. “ Madam,” 
he said, “ had better decide on remaining at Liddes 
for the night. It would be impossible for so delicate- 
looking a lady to face the storm that is now breaking 
over the mountains. The rush of wind down the nar- 
ow abyss would unseat her !” 

“ Madam will see to perfection the torrent and water 
fall of the Val Orsey !” musingly exclaimed Club Foot, 
to whom I had taken an invincible antipathy. 

This warning only made me the more anxious to 


EXCURSION TO THE GREAT ST. BERNARD. 535 

overtake my brother, who had left his overcoat and 
plaid with me. When, however, I anxiously inquired 
for the guide, the only answer I could obtain from 
both host and hostess was, either that he was coming, 
or that he could not be found. Thus full half an hour 
elapsed, whilst the rain beat in torrents against the 
windows. I lost all patience. I thought of my poor 
brother exposed to this pitiless storm, and for the 
fourth time inquired if my guide had not made his ap¬ 
pearance. No, he had not! So I desired that an- 
• other might be procured, as I was most anxious about 
my brother. All my expostulations were vain. It 
was evident that, as soon as the door was closed, both 
host and hostess troubled themselves no more about 
me. 

All this time Club Foot seemed heartily to enjoy my 
vexation ; whilst his friend, sipping his brandy and 
water, eyed me askant, as if I were some curious study. 
I got angry, and running down stairs, came full tilt 
against a boy, who was seeking for shelter in the 
covered archway. “ My boy,” said I, “ do you know 
Jean Joumont, a guide, who lives here?” He knew him 
very well; and, tempted by the reward of a few batzen, 
brought him to me in less than five minutes. Of course 
no message had ever been delivered to him from me. 
It was useless for him or any one to remonstrate, or to 
entreat me to wait until the storm was over. I had 
but one object before my eyes; Edward drenched to 
the skin, and peering out anxiously for us on an un¬ 
known and perhaps dangerous road. So I was con¬ 
ducted to the shed where my mule awaited me. Em 
cumbered as I was with shawls and wrappers, it was 


536 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


impossible to spring into the saddle ! Moreover, flung 
across the creature’s back was a sack of provender for 
its refreshment at the convent, no provision being at¬ 
tainable in that sterile, rocky land. How was I to 
mount ? Ah! I was told there was the substantial 
rope-tfoven dunghill placed most conveniently at the 
entrance of each Swiss hovel! Well, many have rise 
from the same stepping-stone far higher in this good 
world’s estimation than to the back of a mule ; so why 
should I have objected? Nevertheless I did, and 
scrambled into my seat as best I could. A dozen kind 
peasant hands helped to arrange my coverings ; and as 
I had insisted upon my guide wearing my large Macin¬ 
tosh, the same party fastened it around him with many 
a laugh and jest at his new costume. As I passed 
forth beneath the window of the salon, its sash was 
thrown up, and Club Foot’s face was projected thence 
with a malignant grin, as he congratulated me on the 
weather. Of this I should have taken no notice, had 
I not perceived his companion behind him raising his 
hat in a manner which made me involuntarily bend my 
head in token of farewell. 

With the wind howling around us, and the sleet and 
rain beating against us, my guide and I reached the 
wretched hamlet of St. Pierre, where we trusted that 
Edward had taken shelter. A peasant informed us 
hat a gentleman answering to this description had 
gone on towards the hospice. So we pushed forwards, 
until a shout and merry burst of laughter made us 
halt under a projecting rock, and where, in its farthest 
recess, we discovered Edward, perfectly dry, and ex¬ 
tremely amused at our forlorn and dripping appear- 


EXCURSION TO THE GREAT ST. BERNARD. 537 


ance. At first we felt provoked, but, thinking better 
of the matter, withdrew to the same shelter until the 
storm had spent its fury. With the first struggling 
sunbeam we pursued our route, our guide pointing out 
to us the spot where Napoleon fell as he preceied hi 
artillery in 1800, and where he encountered the 
greatest natural obstacles to his ambitious career 
across the Alps. We left this route above us, and 
gladly pursued the “ excellent road cut by the Valai- 
sans across the precipices which overhang the deep 
course of the Drance, avoiding the steep rises and falls 
of the old road, and leading us by a safe path which 
their daring engineers have cut out of the rock through 
a savage and appalling defile.” 

The trees and shrubs are now dwarfs in comparison 
to their brethren of the valleys; but there is rich pas¬ 
turage in the Prou where numerous herds are feeding. 
We still ascend, and come on a dreary, naked scene: 
not a blade of grass, not a sign of vegetable life; 
brown rocks, snow, and ice. We shiver, our teeth 
chatter, and we draw our mantles more closely about 
us: my feet are benumbed. Six hours ago we could 
hardly endure the heat! We ask anxiously if that 
enormous mass of rock, which seems to shut out all 
urther egress from the valley, is not the Great St. 
Bernard. No; it is Mount Yelau, and the guide 
points out the thread-like pathway. We have now 
reached the last human habitation ere we arrive at the 
hospice—a small inn that can only be inhabited in 
summer. I gladly enter to draw more stockings over 
my frozen feet. The peasants within are laughing, 
dancing, and drinking; the good-natured hostess pulls 


538 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


a blanket off her bed, and tucks me in it upon the 
mule. Three Piedmontese with returned mules joined 
us here. One, a very handsome lad, sat with his face 
to his mule’s tail, in order to converse more freely 
with his companion who followed. Edward had also 
mounted a returned mule by the guide’s advice, and he 
headed our party, all winding along the edge of the 
rock in Indian file. Be the road ever so wide, the 
mule chooses the edge; they derive this habit from 
being taught, when carrying burdens, to keep as far 
from the mountain-wall as possible: the least concus 
sion against it would overbalance them on a narrov 
pathway, and would hurl them over the precipices 
The Drance must now be crossed over that wooden 
plank; but is it wood or ice ? The merry back-rider 
shouts ‘ Coraggio Signora!’ and slipping and sliding, 
we venture over, and are safe on the other side. And 
as we still climb the icy pathway, my guide points to- 
a small hollow between two rocks, and tells that had it 
not been for the Brethren of St. Bernard, he would 
have died there three years ago. He, with two other 
men had urgent business to transact at Aosta, which 
lies on the other side of the Pass of the Great St. 
Bernard. It was in the spring, when the sun’s influ¬ 
ence detaches the avalanches from their snowy beds, 
and when, therefore, it is the most dangerous time to 
travel in their vicinity. It was a dull day when they 
set off for Oasieres, but they did not anticipate rain: 
at Liddes, however, a drizzling mist fell round them, 
which by the time they had reached the miserable inn, 
where I had been lent the blanket, had turned into 
sleet and snow. The house was net yet occupied, it 


EXCURSION TO THE GREAT ST. BERNAR1). 539 


being too early to venture a residence there. So they 
pushed onwards, never speaking, for fear the sound of 
their voices should detach the loosened masses of snow 
that slightly adhered to the mountain’s sides, and con¬ 
gratulating themselves each in his heart that thus far 
they had safely journeyed towards the hospitable Avails 
of the convent, where they were sure of a welcome for 
the night. But on crossing the Drance, to their utter 
dismay all traces of the path to the convent had been 
obliterated by. the recent fall of snow: to return to 
Liddes was hopeless; the shades of evening were clo¬ 
sing in fast upon them. With beating hearts and 
uncertain steps they sought for the lost path in every 
direction—in vain. Terrified and bewildered, they 
seemed to be hunting in a magic circle. At last Jean 
declared that he had discovered it; the other two 
maintained he was mistaken; but he toiled onwards 
until, as his friends had refused to follow him, he lost 
faith in himself, and, as he expressed it, sank upon the 
ground with a 6 dying heartand whence he instantly 
slipped down a shelving projection of the rock. His 
last recollection was hearing a terrific explosion, as if 
the solid rock had been rent from its base, and of his 
agonizing struggle to extricate himself from the soft, 
yielding snow, which, the more he wrestled with it, the 
more effectually wrapped him in its stifling embrace. 
He had a sensation of forever sinking—sinking !—and 
he remembered no more as all consciousness forsook 
him. 

The monks of the hospice were out in that aAvful 
hour on their charitable mission, as is their usual 
custom. Provided with lanterns, and carrying vials of 


540 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 



restoratives, and accompanied by their dogs, they had 
sallied forth, in quest of any helpless travellers who, 
like Jean and his companions, might have lost their way 
across that dreary solitude. The unerring instinct of 
the dogs led them to the place where Jean was buried. 
They burrowed beneath the snow, scenting their 
course; whilst their long bushy tails rising above its 
surface told their masters at times where to follow 
them. When close to our poor guide’s body, they 
commenced whining and scratching the ground. Forth¬ 
with the monks dug into the snow-heap, and discovered 
him almost dead! He was placed on a stretcher, and 
carried by them to the hospice, where they tended him 
with all tenderness for the following three weeks that 
he struggled between life and death. But notwith¬ 
standing all their skill he has never fully recovered the 
shock; and his eyes are ever most painfully affected 
by the snow. Most fortunate it was for him that he 





EXCURSION TO THE GREAT ST. BERNARD. 41 

fiad slipped into this crevice of the rock ; for the ava¬ 
lanche had rolled harmlessly over it: an instant later, 
and he would have been inevitably crushed to death. 
His companions were found close to the hospice, but 
in the blinding snow-storm had failed to discover its 
proximity: they had been walking about to keep off 
sleep, but were at last yielding to its fatal influence, 
and in despair had thrown themselves on the ground. 

It was with a species of veneration for its inhabitants 
that I gazed upon the low massive stone-walls of 
the Hospice of St. Bernard, which at the conclusion 
of my guide’s story, appeared'in view. Here, 8200 
feet above the level of the sea, live a community of 
religieux , who, young, accomplished, with every feel¬ 
ing alive to the enjoyments of the world, still volunta¬ 
rily devote themselves to a life of toil and dangers. In 
the spring and summer time of their existence, when 
‘ youth at the prow and pleasure at the helm’ beckon 
their bark forwards to sail on the stream of pleasure, 
they cast their anchor on this tempest-shaken rock, 
heart and soul, giving themselves up to the service of 
those fellow-beings, who, in this dreary but frequented 
pass of the mountains, would inevitably perish without 
their aid. For here, across this savage solitude, is the 
great peasant thoroughfare between Italy and Switzer¬ 
land ; across this pass come our organ-boys, our dor- 
mice-bearers, and those children of the south who 
swarm our streets. Almost all can tell, with raised 
caps in sign of reverence, that they have been wel¬ 
comed o,n their homeless road by ‘ Our Brethren of St. 
Bernard!’ Without such aid hundreds would have 
perished. Even in the depths of winter such wander- 
46 


542 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


ers are forced to seek its shelter; and the hospice has 
never been known to be without its guests. 

As we rode up to the low dwelling, one of the breth¬ 
ren stood at the door, bidding farewell to a party of tra¬ 
vellers. We alighted, and craved his hospitality for the 
night. He was a young man of two-and-thirty, with 
a pale countenance and delicate frame; and yet he 
braved the midnight storm in the cause of charity ! his 
dress struck me, woman-like, at once, as being most 
becoming. A long frock-coat, fastened down the front 
with large buttons, and descending even to the ankles ; 
full sleeves falling ovef tighter ones of the same mate¬ 
rial ; a white collar, worked bead-fashion with black ; 
and a linen scarf, with black silk ends, thrown grace¬ 
fully across the chest, composed an attire at once most 
clerical and most gentlemanly. He raised his velvet 
cap with courteous grace to welcome us, and expressed 
his pleasure at receiving an English gentleman and 
lady within the walls of the hospice. He was the 
clavendier, or the brother deputed to welcome and enter¬ 
tain travellers. He laughed heartily at my blanket, 
and at once ushered me into the reception-hall—a large 
room hung with pictures, the gifts of travellers, and 
furnished solely with a long table and chairs—after 
which he hastened to conduct Edward into a sleeping- 
apartment, where he might change his thoroughly- 
oaked boots. 

By the wood-fire, at the end of the hall, were 
crouched two Aosta girls. Immediately on my en¬ 
trance they rose, and offered me a seat between them, 
commencing a conversation in semi-Italian and French 
perfectly charming, so free was it from forwardness 


EXCURSION TO THE GREAT ST. BERNARD. 543 

and its opposite extreme, sullen reserve. These maid¬ 
ens, with their golden-bodkined hair, were enchanted 
when they found that I had come from England; for 
at first they had taken me for a Frenchwoman. 
England with them was synonymous with gold; and 
many and curious, though not at all impertinent, were 
the questions they plied me with. “ Was it quite true 
that, though we all did as we liked, we would die for 
our Queen ? Was she very pretty?” I replied, it was 
quite true that we all loved bur Queen, and women as 
well as men would fight for her were it necessary: 
that our Queen* was a fair, blue-eyed lady, with skin so 
dazzingly white, that when the ermine of her royal 
robe had rested on her shoulders it looked to me yellow 
m comparison. Upon this the two maidens raised 
their own sunburnt hands, and nodded their heads, 
until their long earrings swayed to and fro with the 
motion. 

Soon the clavendier joined us, and, rather to my dis¬ 
may, every word of my conversation was volubly 
poured forth into his attentive ears by those Aosta 
maidens. He entered into their interest about trifles 
with childlike heartiness, but soon turned to other sub¬ 
jects ; and I found him perfectly acquainted, not only 
with the graver topics of the day, but also with our 
light literature, poetry, and recent discoveries. In all 
this the peasant girls mixed with a propriety, where 
they understood the subject, which would have as¬ 
tonished me had I not met with it before. They soon, 
however, took their leave, not without giving me a 
pressing invitation to bring my brother and see their 
beautiful Aosta. In the retirement of my own room, 


544 


PERILOUS ADVENTURES. 


where I was now conducted, I could not but marvel at 
myself; here for an hour had I been chatting away 
with the monk and these peasant maidens without re¬ 
straint—I, whom Edward is continually lecturing on 
eserve and hauteur. 
































































X. 







fl 





















